The Trump administration reportedly chose Dave Venturella to replace Todd Lyons as the Director of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
Venturella worked for ICE during the Obama and George W. Bush administrations, The Hill reports. He currently works for the department to facilitate contracts between the agency and immigration detention facilities. Prior to rejoining the agency, he worked for a private prison company.
Lyons announced his resignation last month. “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,” Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin said. “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.”
