U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Acting Director Todd Lyons will resign effective May 31. David Venturella, a former senior executive at the private prison company GEO Group, is expected to serve as the next acting director. Lyons has since been hired by a defense contractor.
"Director Lyons has been a great leader of ICE and key player in helping the Trump administration remove murderers, rapists, pedophiles, terrorists, and gang members from American communities."
— Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin
Departure and Appointment
Todd Lyons, who served as acting director of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) since March 2025, will leave the federal government effective May 31. His resignation was announced by Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) did not provide an immediate reason for the resignation.
Two U.S. officials reported that Lyons planned to leave to spend more time with family in Massachusetts and was expected to join the private sector. Following his departure, David Venturella, most recently a DHS official overseeing contracts between ICE and detention facilities, is expected to be appointed as acting director effective June 1.
Venturella previously held positions at ICE during the George W. Bush and Obama administrations, including executive director of the Secure Communities program. From 2012 to approximately 2022, he worked for GEO Group, a private prison company that contracts with the federal government for immigration detention. After retiring from GEO, he worked as a consultant for the company. In 2024, Democrats on the House Judiciary Committee raised concerns about a potential conflict of interest due to Venturella's past employment with GEO Group and his role overseeing ICE contracts.
Lyons has since joined Navigators Security and Defense as senior vice president for U.S. homeland security and international affairs. The company, a subsidiary of the lobbying firm Navigators Global, stated that his role will involve advising on U.S. homeland defense strategy, interagency operations, and international security. Due to federal laws, Lyons cannot engage with DHS for one year.
Background and Career
Lyons joined ICE in 2007 as an enforcement agent in Dallas. He later served as field office director in Boston and assistant director for field operations in ICE's Enforcement and Removal Operations division.
During his tenure as acting director, ICE received increased congressional funding, including $75 billion from the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, which was used to recruit and hire additional deportation agents and expand detention capabilities.
Under Lyons's leadership, ICE increased its workforce and conducted high-profile immigration enforcement operations in cities including Chicago and Minneapolis. The agency's arrest rate has been approximately 1,200 per day, and over 570,000 deportations have occurred. These figures are below the administration's stated goal of 1 million deportations annually.
Policy Changes
In May 2025, Lyons signed a memo, first obtained by The Associated Press, that authorized ICE agents to forcibly enter homes without judicial warrants during certain operations, a change from previous agency policy.
Sources reported that while ICE agents were authorized to arrest any individual determined to be in the United States illegally, Lyons internally pushed for operations to target individuals with criminal histories.
Personnel and Internal Dynamics
Lyons reportedly disagreed internally with some administration decisions, including an effort by former Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem to elevate Border Patrol official Gregory Bovino to lead operations in major U.S. cities.
After fatal shootings in Minneapolis and subsequent backlash, Bovino was relieved of his command. Border czar Tom Homan was sent to wind down the operation, and Bovino has since retired from government service.
DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin, who was confirmed by the Senate and assumed the role after Kristi Noem was fired, has indicated a shift away from large-scale immigration enforcement surges in cities, while maintaining a focus on expanding detention and deportation capacity.
Congressional Testimony
On May 28, Lyons appeared before a House subcommittee to argue for the agency's budget. During the hearing, he faced questions regarding the shooting deaths of protesters Renee Good and Alex Pretti during immigration enforcement operations.
When asked if he would apologize for how some administration officials characterized Good, Lyons declined, citing an active investigation. He stated he had seen video of Pretti's shooting but could not comment further due to the ongoing investigation.
Institutional Context
ICE has not had a Senate-confirmed director since early 2017. Lyons was one of approximately a dozen acting directors over the past decade. The agency remains a subject of congressional debate, with some Democratic lawmakers seeking restraints on immigration officers as a condition for routine DHS funding.
A February AP-NORC poll indicated that a majority of U.S. adults held an unfavorable view of ICE.
The Secure Communities program, which shares fingerprints of arrested individuals with federal authorities, was ended by President Barack Obama in 2014, reinstated by President Donald Trump in 2017, and remains in effect.
Statements
Several administration officials issued statements regarding Lyons's departure:
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Secretary Mullin: "Director Lyons has been a great leader of ICE and key player in helping the Trump administration remove murderers, rapists, pedophiles, terrorists, and gang members from American communities. He jumpstarted an agency that had not been allowed to do its job for four years. Thanks to his leadership, American communities are safer." He also wished Lyons luck in the private sector.
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White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller described Lyons as "a phenomenal patriot and dedicated leader" who has been at the center of President Trump's historic efforts to secure the homeland.
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White House spokesperson Abigail Jackson described Lyons on social media as "an American patriot who made our country safer."
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Former border official Tom Homan described Lyons as serving selflessly and as "a highly respected and effective acting Director of ICE."
Leadership Transition and Funding Status
ICE and Border Patrol were not included in regular DHS appropriations, though Congress funded the rest of the department, ending the longest agency shutdown. Republicans are exploring a reconciliation process to fund DHS, including ICE, for the remainder of the president's term without Democratic support.
Approximately half of the $75 billion allocated for immigration enforcement is designated for detention space expansion.