WASHINGTON — The White House announced Thursday that it is withdrawing the nomination of Lance Schroyer, a former Oklahoma state trooper, to lead U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). The move ensures that an agency central to President Donald Trump’s domestic agenda will continue to operate without a Senate-confirmed director for the foreseeable future.
Schroyer, who has limited background in immigration policy, is described as a close ally of Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin, a former U.S. senator from Oklahoma. The White House provided no additional explanation in a brief statement regarding the withdrawal.
The setback arrives as ICE faces intense criticism over its enforcement operations. Lawmakers and advocates have raised concerns about the recruitment and training of officers as the agency races to hire thousands of personnel to execute Trump’s pledge of mass deportations. Several officers have shot and killed individuals during operations, including two American citizens in Minneapolis earlier this year.
Sen. Rand Paul, chairman of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, had blocked a confirmation hearing for Schroyer until the Department of Homeland Security provided updates on internal investigations into civilian deaths during ICE operations.
“I don’t have a concern with who the nominee was. I had asked them to give me an update on the internal investigation into civilian deaths,” Paul told The Associated Press. “And I’m still waiting.”
When Secretary Mullin took over DHS in March, he signaled a shift toward a lower-profile enforcement strategy, stepping back from the aggressive street crackdowns in major cities that had drawn widespread public condemnation. Despite this shift, arrest numbers have surged, reaching nearly 51,000 in August—the highest single-month total during the second Trump administration.
Paul stated that while he intended to hold a hearing on the nomination, it never materialized. He only learned of its withdrawal when the White House made the announcement public on Thursday.
ICE has not had a Senate-confirmed leader since the Obama administration. David Venturella, a former executive at a private prison company, has served as acting director since Todd Lyons resigned earlier this year.
When Trump initially nominated Schroyer in June, the president praised him on his Truth Social platform as a “PATRIOT with real operational experience” and a “proven leader with DECADES of experience locking up the worst of the worst.”
The administration has not indicated when it might announce a new candidate for the position.
I guess we will just keep running ICE on autopilot with an acting director then. Typical Washington.
Nearly 51,000 arrests in one month sounds like panic mode, not careful law enforcement.
Rand Paul blocking the hearing over civilian deaths shows Congress still has some teeth, surprisingly.
Schroyer had zero immigration policy experience. Why were they even considering him for this role in the first place?
No confirmed director since Obama? That is a staggering statistic for such a powerful agency.