Trump withdraws ICE nominee, pulling back Lance Schroyer’s name for director and extending the period without a Senate-confirmed leader at U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
The White House confirmed Thursday that it had withdrawn the nomination of Schroyer, a former Oklahoma state trooper with limited background in immigration matters. Schroyer is known to be close to Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin, who previously served in the U.S. Senate representing Oklahoma. The White House did not elaborate on the decision in its brief statement.
The move comes as ICE faces intense scrutiny over its enforcement tactics, including how the agency accelerated hiring and training to support President Donald Trump’s pledge of mass deportations. Officers have fatally shot multiple people this year, including two U.S. citizens in Minneapolis, according to officials and public reports.
Sen. Rand Paul, who chairs the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, had declined to schedule a hearing for Schroyer until the Department of Homeland Security provided information he requested regarding civilian deaths tied to ICE operations. “I don’t have a concern with who the nominee was. I had asked them to give me an update on the internal investigation into civilian deaths,” Paul told the Associated Press, adding that he was still waiting for answers.
Mullin, who took over DHS in March, pledged a lower-profile approach to immigration enforcement, easing off high-visibility crackdowns in major cities that drew widespread condemnation. Even so, arrests have continued to rise, reaching nearly 51,000 in August, the highest monthly total of Trump’s second term.
Paul said he planned to hold a hearing on Schroyer’s nomination, but the withdrawal rendered it unnecessary. He learned of the decision only after the White House announced it on Thursday.
Trump withdraws ICE nominee amid ongoing leadership gap
ICE has not had a Senate-confirmed director since the Obama administration. David Venturella, a former executive in the private corrections industry and a veteran ICE official, returned earlier this year to serve as acting director after Todd Lyons resigned.
When Trump nominated Schroyer in June, he promoted him on social media as “a patriot with real operational experience” and “a proven leader with decades of experience locking up the worst of the worst.”
The administration did not say when it would put forward a new nominee to lead the agency.
Trump has simultaneously advanced other initiatives, such as his economic pitch around a proposed cash payout, including the controversial plan known as the Trump $5,000 dividend. The stalled ICE nomination adds another unresolved front to the broader agenda.
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement operates under the umbrella of the Department of Homeland Security. The agency’s leadership vacuum is drawing increased attention from both Congress and civil liberties groups.
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