President Donald Trump announced on Thursday that he is withdrawing the nomination of Lance Schroyer to lead Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). The decision follows a blockade by Republican Senator Rand Paul of Kentucky, who prevented a confirmation hearing from taking place.
Trump had selected Schroyer, a former Oklahoma Highway Patrol trooper, for the role in June. At the time, the President praised him as a “PATRIOT with real operational experience” and argued he would be essential to the administration’s immigration enforcement goals. No rationale was provided for the withdrawal, and the White House declined to comment when contacted by TIME.
Schroyer’s appointment was considered unexpected due to his lack of executive experience leading a major law enforcement agency. However, he shares a close professional history with Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin. Schroyer previously served on Mullin’s security detail and was later appointed as a senior advisor within the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), which oversees ICE.
During his tenure in Oklahoma, Schroyer helped coordinate state-level immigration crackdowns with ICE and was deputized the previous year to carry out federal immigration arrests. Both Mullin and Trump had urged Congress to expedite his confirmation.
“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,” Mullin stated at the time of the nomination, adding that Trump had made a strong choice.
The obstruction came from Senator Paul, who chairs the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs. In August, Paul declared he would delay the hearing until the DHS provided additional details regarding investigations into the fatal shootings of two U.S. citizens by federal immigration agents in Minneapolis earlier this year. The incident has become a significant point of contention regarding the scope of the administration’s immigration policies.
ICE has operated without a Senate-confirmed director since 2017. Following the departure of former acting director Todd Lyon at the end of May, long-time immigration official David Venturella has served as acting head of the agency since June 1.
I didn’t realize Senator Paul’s hold was tied to the Minneapolis shootings. That context completely changes how I viewed the blocker initially.
Wait, ICE hasn’t had a confirmed director since 2017? That’s nearly a decade of acting leadership. How does agency function like this?
Another nominee pulled over process? I hope this means they’ll pick someone with actual executive experience next time.