The acting head of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) will leave his position in May, Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin announced.
“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. We wish him luck on his next opportunity in the private sector,” Mullin said Thursday night. “His last day is May 31, 2026.”
In a resignation letter reported by The New York Times, Lyons said family matters fueled his decision. “My sons are both reaching a pivotal point in their lives, and my wife and I wish to spend as much time as possible with them,” Lyons wrote. “This was not an easy decision, but I believe it is the right one for me and my family at this time.”
Border czar Tom Homan said under Lyons’ leadership, ICE “achieved a record number of removals in the first year of this Administration, despite unprecedented challenges, delivering on the President’s promise to deport illegal aliens who have no right to be in the U.S., especially those that are public safety risks or pose a threat to our national security.”
White House deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller added, “Todd is a phenomenal patriot and dedicated leader who has been at the center of President Trump’s historic efforts to secure our homeland and reverse the Democrats’ sinister border invasion. His courageous work at ICE has saved countless thousands of American lives and helped deliver safety and tranquility to millions of Americans.”
