Trump Withdraws Lance Schroyer Nomination to Lead ICE

The White House has withdrawn President Donald Trump’s nomination of Lance Schroyer to lead U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, ending the former Oklahoma state trooper’s bid to become the agency’s permanent director.

The decision, announced Thursday, Sept. 17, came less than three months after Trump selected Schroyer for the position. The White House did not provide a public explanation for withdrawing the nomination, leaving the agency without a Senate-confirmed director as ICE remains central to the administration’s immigration enforcement strategy.

Schroyer, a former Marine and Oklahoma Highway Patrol official, had been serving as a senior adviser to Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin. He was also previously part of Mullin’s security detail when Mullin was serving in the U.S. Senate.

Trump announced Schroyer’s nomination in June and highlighted his decades of law enforcement experience. The president said at the time that Schroyer had the operational background needed to carry out the administration’s immigration enforcement objectives and called on the Senate to confirm him quickly.

Instead, the nomination stalled before a confirmation hearing could take place.

Senate Confirmation Never Moved Forward

Sen. Rand Paul, a Kentucky Republican who chairs the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, had not scheduled a hearing for Schroyer.

Paul said his hesitation was connected to information he had requested from the Department of Homeland Security concerning internal investigations into civilian deaths during federal immigration enforcement operations.

“I don’t have a concern with who the nominee was,” Paul told The Associated Press. “I had asked them to give me an update on the internal investigation into civilian deaths. And I’m still waiting.”

Paul said he had intended to hold a hearing on Schroyer’s nomination but had not reached that stage before the White House withdrew the nomination. He also said he learned of the withdrawal when it was publicly announced.

Paul’s office has indicated that the senator had not formally expressed opposition to Schroyer himself. The delay nevertheless prevented the nomination from advancing through the committee process.

The dispute comes as ICE has faced increased scrutiny over enforcement operations, including fatal shootings involving federal immigration officers.

Schroyer’s Law Enforcement Background

Schroyer spent decades in law enforcement before moving into federal policy work.

He served with the Oklahoma Highway Patrol and rose to the rank of major. During his state law enforcement career, he became involved in cooperation between Oklahoma authorities and federal immigration officials.

His work included efforts to expand participation in the federal 287(g) program, which allows state and local law enforcement agencies to perform certain immigration enforcement functions under agreements with ICE.

According to federal and state officials, Schroyer helped train more than 700 Oklahoma Highway Patrol troopers in immigration enforcement procedures. He was also deputized to make immigration arrests after completing federal training.

Trump cited that experience when announcing the nomination.

However, Schroyer had limited experience working directly within ICE itself and had never managed an agency of its size. That became an issue during the months following his nomination.

Some officials and immigration policy critics questioned whether his background prepared him to oversee an agency responsible for immigration detention, deportation operations and enforcement across the country.

The Washington Post reported that some officials inside the administration were surprised by the choice. White House border czar Tom Homan also publicly emphasized the importance of selecting someone with direct experience running immigration enforcement operations.

Close Ties to Markwayne Mullin

Schroyer’s relationship with Mullin was another prominent part of the story surrounding his nomination.

Mullin, a former senator from Oklahoma, became Homeland Security secretary in March. Schroyer had previously worked as part of Mullin’s security detail and later became an adviser to him at the Department of Homeland Security.

Mullin supported Schroyer’s selection when Trump announced it.

The close professional relationship prompted questions about how Schroyer was selected for one of the administration’s most important law enforcement positions. The White House, however, maintained that Trump made the decision.

The withdrawal represents a setback for Mullin as DHS continues to oversee an increasingly expansive immigration enforcement operation.

ICE Remains Under Acting Leadership

With Schroyer’s nomination withdrawn, ICE will continue operating under acting leadership.

David Venturella currently serves as acting director. He returned to ICE earlier this year after previously working in the agency and later spending years at the private prison company GEO Group. He took over after Todd Lyons left the position in May.

ICE has not had a Senate-confirmed director since Sarah Saldaña left the position in 2017.

That prolonged reliance on acting leadership has become particularly significant during Trump’s second administration because ICE has been given a major role in the president’s effort to increase immigration arrests and deportations.

The agency has expanded its enforcement operations as the administration works to carry out its immigration agenda. According to government data cited by the Associated Press, ICE arrests reached nearly 51,000 in August, the highest monthly total recorded during Trump’s second term.

Increased Scrutiny of Immigration Enforcement

The nomination withdrawal comes during a period of heightened attention to how ICE recruits, trains and deploys its officers.

Federal immigration operations have drawn scrutiny following several shootings involving federal agents. Two U.S. citizens were killed during immigration enforcement operations in Minneapolis earlier this year, prompting questions in Congress about the circumstances surrounding the deaths and the federal government’s internal investigations.

Paul’s request for information about those investigations became a central issue in the stalled confirmation process.

The Senate committee chairman has said he wanted answers from DHS before moving forward with the nominee. Those answers had not arrived by the time the White House withdrew Schroyer’s nomination.

The situation places additional attention on the administration’s next choice for ICE director. A permanent director would require Senate confirmation, meaning any new nominee will face the same congressional review that Schroyer never completed.

No Replacement Has Been Announced

The Trump administration has not announced who will replace Schroyer as its nominee for ICE director.

The White House also has not indicated when it expects to announce another candidate.

For now, Venturella will continue running the agency on an acting basis while the administration considers its next move.

The withdrawal closes a nomination that began with strong presidential support but never reached a Senate confirmation hearing. It also leaves unresolved the broader question of who will permanently lead ICE as the agency expands its role in the administration’s immigration policy.

Any new nominee will enter the process amid continuing congressional scrutiny over ICE operations, the use of federal enforcement powers and the agency’s handling of investigations involving civilians.

For the moment, the leadership of one of the administration’s most prominent immigration agencies remains unsettled.