Trump nominates Lance Schroyer to lead ICE amid deportation push

Trump nominated Lance Schroyer on Saturday, June 27, 2026, to lead U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, elevating a former Oklahoma state trooper and U.S. Marine who Trump said has more than 29 years of law-enforcement experience in Oklahoma. In his Truth Social post, Trump called Schroyer a “PATRIOT with real operational experience” and a “proven leader” with decades spent locking up the “worst of the worst,” while highlighting Schroyer’s role in building 287(g) partnerships with ICE.

The pick comes at a pivotal moment for the agency central to Trump’s deportation campaign. ICE has gone without a Senate-confirmed director since early 2017, and the leadership post changed hands again after Todd Lyons resigned at the end of May 2026. David J. Venturella began serving as acting director on June 1, 2026, and ICE’s leadership page identifies him as the senior official performing the duties of the director. If confirmed, Schroyer would be the first Senate-confirmed ICE director in years.

Schroyer’s background also fits the administration’s heavier reliance on state and local police. The Department of Homeland Security said in September 2025 that ICE and local agencies had more than 1,000 287(g) agreements nationwide, and ICE says those agreements allow the agency to delegate certain immigration-enforcement functions to participating officers under federal direction and oversight. Trump’s emphasis on Schroyer’s Oklahoma law-enforcement career and his work on those partnerships signals continuity with an approach that expands deportation operations through sheriffs’ offices, state troopers, and local jails.

The nomination also lands while the Department of Homeland Security’s inspector general is reviewing detainee deaths in ICE custody and use-of-force issues, putting the agency’s detention system under fresh scrutiny. Trump reinforced the political weight of the choice by noting that he won all 77 counties in Oklahoma in 2016, 2020 and 2024, a reminder that the White House is pairing its immigration crackdown with loyalty from law-enforcement figures in deeply Republican states.