Todd Lyons, ICE's acting director, will leave the agency.

 

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Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin has confirmed that the acting director of US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), Todd Lyons, intends to leave the organization. In a statement released on Thursday, Mullin stated that "Director Lyons has been a great leader of ICE" and that he has been a "key player" in the immigration agenda of the Trump administration. After May 31, Lyons, who was in charge of hundreds of thousands of deportations, will leave the position to work in the private sector. He has worked in the federal agency for nearly two decades, and previously served in the US Air Force and as a police officer.

 The person who will succeed Lyons as head of the over 27,400-person law enforcement agency is not yet clear. After Caleb Vitello was removed from his position, in March 2025, Trump appointed Lyons as the acting director of ICE. Secretary Mullin, who was confirmed last month, will be tasked with finding Lyons' replacement.

 After removing former DHS Secretary Kristi Noem from her position, Trump appointed Mullin, a senator, to oversee the nation's immigration enforcement, border protection, and airport security in March.

ICE has faced increased scrutiny for its role at the center of Trump's mass deportation initiative.

 Border tsar Tom Homan praised Lyon in a statement on Thursday, stating that "ICE achieved a record number of removals in the first year of this Administration, despite unprecedented challenges" under his leadership. The agency has made thousands of arrests since Trump returned to the White House in January 2025, and there have been some high-profile clashes with protesters who oppose ICE's operations.

 Lyons and Rodney Scott, the commissioner of Customs and Border Protection (CBP), vehemently defended the president's immigration agenda during a tense February congressional hearing. Facing sharp questions from lawmakers in Congress, the immigration bosses blamed protesters for inflaming rhetoric against agents and said their agencies would not be deterred.

 "Please allow me to send a message to anyone who believes they can intimidate us. You will fail," Lyons said at the time.

 That hearing came after ICE agents shot and killed two US citizens, Alex Pretti and Renee Good, sparking outrage across the country.

 Trump has significantly expanded ICE, its budget and its mission since returning to the White House.

The agency investigates undocumented immigration and enforces immigration laws. It also plays a role in removing undocumented immigrants from the US.

Source: BBC