Trump To Nominate Seasoned Cop and Marine Vet to Be New ICE Director

President Donald Trump announced Saturday that he is nominating longtime Oklahoma law enforcement officer Lance Schroyer to serve as the next director of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, choosing a veteran officer with nearly three decades of experience as the administration accelerates its immigration enforcement agenda.

Trump praised Schroyer’s background in Oklahoma law enforcement and said he would be central to the administration’s mission to crack down on illegal immigration, remove criminal illegal aliens, and support the men and women of ICE.

“I am very pleased to announce that I have nominated Lance Schroyer to be our next ICE Director. Lance has over 29 YEARS of Law Enforcement experience in Oklahoma — A State where I WON all 77 Counties in 2016, 2020, and 2024! Lance is a former Oklahoma State Trooper, and United States Marine,” Trump wrote on Truth Social.

“He is a PATRIOT with real operational experience, and proven leader with DECADES of experience locking up the worst of the worst, including spearheading 287g Law Enforcement partnerships with ICE!” he continued.

Trump said Schroyer has direct experience working with federal immigration authorities and removing illegal aliens from communities.

“Lance has firsthand experience getting Illegal Aliens OFF our streets and, just like ME and our Secretary of Homeland Security Markwayne Mullin, he LOVES the men and women of ICE. Importantly, Lance Schroyer has what it takes to DETAIN AND DEPORT Illegal Alien Criminals, including murders, rapists, and drug traffickers at a rate never seen before! Remember, our Administration has the HIGHEST Daily Arrest Rate by ICE and CBP than ANY other President, by far,” Trump added.

The president urged the Senate to move quickly.

“It’s not even close! The Senate must CONFIRM Lance, IMMEDIATELY — Do not delay. Together, we will MAKE AMERICA SAFE AGAIN.”

Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin also backed the nomination, saying Schroyer is exactly the kind of operational leader needed at ICE.

“President Trump has nominated Lance Schroyer to serve as the ICE Director,” Mullin wrote on X.

“With over 29 years of law enforcement experience, Lance will play a vital role in helping deliver on the President’s mandate from the American people to target, arrest, and deport illegal aliens,” he said.

Mullin highlighted Schroyer’s experience working directly in the field and coordinating with federal and state partners.

“Lance is coming straight from the operational field where he ran large scale operations and worked alongside state and federal partners to remove illegal aliens from Oklahoma under the 287g program,” Mullin continued.

“President Trump made a great pick, and I’m confident Lance’s strong leadership and firsthand experience will empower the men and women of ICE to deport criminal illegal aliens, secure the homeland, and protect the American people,” he added.

Mullin also noted that ICE has gone more than a decade without a Senate-confirmed director.

“It has been 11 years since @DHSgov has had a Senate confirmed @ICEgov Director. The Senate must quickly confirm Lance Schroyer,” Mullin wrote.

Mullin and Schroyer have a longstanding relationship. ABC News reported that a source said Schroyer was Mullin’s preferred choice to lead ICE.

David Venturella has been serving as acting ICE director since replacing Todd Lyons, who resigned from the position on May 31.

Venturella formally took over June 1 after Lyons completed the transition at the end of May. He is expected to remain in the acting role until Schroyer is confirmed, according to the source.

The leadership change comes as ICE operates during one of the most aggressive immigration enforcement periods in modern American history.

The agency is rapidly expanding detention capacity, increasing arrests nationwide, and carrying out Trump’s broader deportation strategy amid intense political scrutiny.

A DHS spokesperson confirmed Venturella’s appointment in May, while administration officials emphasized his decades of experience in federal immigration enforcement.

Venturella previously served inside ICE during the George W. Bush and Barack Obama administrations before leaving government in 2012 to work for GEO Group, one of the country’s largest private prison contractors.

He later returned to ICE after Trump came back to the White House and most recently oversaw detention and facility contracting operations within DHS.

Venturella is also widely viewed as a close ally of White House border czar Tom Homan, one of the most influential figures behind Trump’s immigration crackdown.

For conservatives, Schroyer’s nomination is another sign that Trump is serious about putting experienced law enforcement professionals in charge of immigration enforcement rather than Washington bureaucrats.

The 287g program, which allows state and local law enforcement agencies to partner with ICE, has long been a key tool for identifying and removing criminal illegal aliens from American communities.

By choosing a former state trooper, Marine, and field-tested lawman, Trump is signaling that ICE’s next chapter will be defined by enforcement, coordination, and results.

The Senate now faces a clear choice: confirm a law enforcement veteran to lead ICE, or delay one of the central pieces of Trump’s public safety agenda.