President Donald Trump on Saturday announced his nomination of Lance Schroyer, a former Oklahoma state trooper and military veteran, to head Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) as the administration accelerates its efforts to secure the nation’s borders.
Trump praised his pick on his Truth Social platform, describing the former U.S. Marine as a “PATRIOT with real operational experience.” The president emphasized Schroyer’s strong track record in uniform, calling him a “proven leader with DECADES of experience locking up the worst of the worst.”
Schroyer hails from Oklahoma, the same home state as Department of Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin. Earlier this month, Mullin introduced Schroyer at a National Sheriffs’ Association event, calling him a “good friend of mine” and noting that DHS had recently brought him on board to help lead enforcement efforts.
On Saturday, Mullin quickly applauded the nomination, highlighting Schroyer’s 29-year law enforcement career and his extensive history of working alongside federal and state partners on vital U.S. immigration enforcement programs.
“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,” Mullin said.
If confirmed by the Senate, Schroyer will take the helm of ICE at a time when the agency is undergoing a massive rebuilding and expansion. Backed by a historic $75 billion one-time funding boost approved last year, ICE has been aggressively scaling up operations, hiring 12,000 new officers and expanding detention capacity to deliver on Trump’s campaign promise of mass deportations.
The enforcement push faces intense scrutiny from political opponents and activists. Earlier this year, friction over federal immigration operations in major cities escalated into protests and hostile clashes with law enforcement, resulting in the tragic, fatal shootings of two U.S. citizens during unrest in Minneapolis.
Mullin, who took over DHS in March, has signaled a desire to keep the department’s day-to-day operations out of political media storms while remaining firmly aligned with the president’s core security priorities.
Claire Trickler-McNulty, a former senior ICE official, noted that while confirmed ICE directors have traditionally been attorneys, the administration is leaning into local law enforcement expertise. She noted that Schroyer’s Oklahoma roots suggest Mullin played a pivotal role in choosing a trusted ally for the high-stakes position.
“I think probably given the attention on ICE, he wants to feel like he has somebody he can trust in there,” Trickler-McNulty said in an interview.
John Torres, another former senior ICE official, said that while Schroyer will face a tough confirmation battle in a polarized Senate, his background as a state trooper rather than a D.C. insider could work to his advantage.
“He won’t have any of that baggage, where they’re going to turn around and say, oh, well, he worked for this administration or that,” Torres said.
The nomination comes after former ICE director Todd Lyons stepped down at the end of May. David Venturella, a former executive at a private prison operator, has been serving as the acting head of the agency. According to a DHS official speaking on the condition of anonymity, Venturella is expected to stay on to ensure operational continuity until Schroyer is officially confirmed by the Senate.
D.C. partisan gridlock has left ICE without a permanent, Senate-confirmed director since the Obama administration, making Schroyer’s upcoming confirmation hearing a critical test for the administration’s border security agenda.
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