President Donald Trump announced June 27 that he will nominate Lance Schroyer, a former Oklahoma state trooper and senior Department of Homeland Security adviser, to direct U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. The choice comes as ICE faces continued scrut
On June 27, President Donald Trump didn’t just put a name forward for one of Washington’s most powerful immigration enforcement jobs. He demanded the Senate move quickly.
In a Truth Social post, Trump urged lawmakers to confirm Lance Schroyer “IMMEDIATELY — Do not delay,” calling the nominee a “patriot” and saying he would help carry out the administration’s broader immigration push to detain and deport people the president describes as serious criminal offenders.
Schroyer is not an outsider to the enforcement machine. Trump said the veteran Oklahoma officer has over 29 years in law enforcement and that he is a U.S. Marine. Most recently. the president said. Schroyer spearheaded federal-local immigration enforcement partnerships with ICE. including a program that allows state and local agencies to help federal immigration authorities.
The timeline of ICE leadership has also become part of the pressure. The nomination arrives months after Todd Lyons, the acting director of ICE who oversaw immigration enforcement crackdowns linked to killings in Minnesota and Illinois, resigned as acting director at the end of May.
Secretary Markwayne Mullin, head of the Department of Homeland Security, praised the selection and argued Schroyer’s background positions him to advance the administration’s immigration enforcement goals, urging the Senate to act quickly to confirm him.
Schroyer’s role in the administration, as described by the Department of Homeland Security, currently puts him as a senior adviser at DHS. In that position, he helps coordinate immigration enforcement strategy and interagency cooperation among federal, state, and local partners.
Before moving into that advisory role, Schroyer served as a major with the Oklahoma Department of Public Safety, overseeing emergency and special operations units. Those responsibilities included disaster response, civil disturbance planning, abducted child recovery efforts, and tactical operations.
ICE’s vacancy has also lingered longer than many other top posts. The agency has not had a Senate-confirmed director since early 2017 and has been led largely by acting officials.
The nomination lands at a moment when ICE remains central to Trump’s immigration enforcement agenda. The administration has expanded detention and deportation efforts as part of the president’s goals to crack down on people entering the country illegally. and immigration rights groups have raised concerns about civil liberties and detention conditions.
ICE has also faced scrutiny over enforcement actions and deaths in custody. Those incidents have prompted protests and public debate, reinforcing how closely enforcement tactics—and the conditions surrounding them—remain under watch.
The agency’s operational plans are drawing fresh attention too. ICE is reportedly planning to sell or transfer seven unused warehouse facilities that were purchased as part of a major immigrant detention expansion effort, linked to plans for detention capacity that have already sparked controversy.
The detention strategy continues to evolve, including adjustments to how custody facilities are planned and utilized. At the same time, immigration enforcement officers are being deployed in more states, pointing to a wider national presence tied to the administration’s efforts.
The sequence is stark: ICE has operated for years without a Senate-confirmed director. it is still navigating detention-related controversy. and now a new nominee is being pushed through a confirmation process with urgent public pressure—backed by a history of partnerships with state and local agencies.
ICE Lance Schroyer Trump immigration Senate confirmation Homeland Security Markwayne Mullin Todd Lyons immigration enforcement detention warehouses Reuters Oklahoma state trooper