The White House withdrew its nomination of former Oklahoma state trooper Lance Schroyer to lead Immigration and Customs Enforcement on Thursday. The abrupt decision follows a prolonged stall in the Senate over records requests, leaving acting director David Venturella in charge of the agency.
The push to install Schroyer at the head of the nation’s immigration enforcement agency came to a quiet halt this week. Immigration and Customs Enforcement has not had a Senate-confirmed director since 2017, and Schroyer’s departure from the nomination pipeline keeps that interim streak alive. The White House issued a brief notice confirming the withdrawal but declined to offer a reason for dropping the candidate.
Stalled Senate Confirmation and the Dispute Over Records
WASHINGTON — The White House yanked President Trump’s nomination of Oklahoma state trooper Lance Schroyer to lead Immigration and Customs Enforcement after it stalled in the Senate. Trump announced Schroyer’s nomination back in June. Schroyer’s path to confirmation hit a wall in the upper chamber due to a standoff led by Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.), who chairs the Senate Homeland Security Committee. Paul has long feuded with Mullin and refrained from holding a hearing on Schroyer until the Trump administration coughed up more records on the ICE shootings of Americans Alex Pretti and Renee Good earlier this year in Minnesota. Although he blocked the advancement of Schroyer during a standoff for records, Paul did not express opposition to Schroyer becoming the director of ICE, according to his office.
Close Ties to Mullin and Miller Amid Enforcement Debates
Schroyer emerged as a surprise pick—as noted by two US officials at the time—when the White House announced the nomination in a Truth Social post in June. A senior adviser and former security team member to Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin, Schroyer knew Mullin from the time Mullin was a U.S. senator for Oklahoma. Schroyer brought decades of local law enforcement experience in Oklahoma—including serving as an Oklahoma State Trooper and a United States Marine—but lacked specific leadership background within ICE or any major law enforcement agency of any kind.
President Donald Trump touted those credentials heavily when championing the choice on social media, writing on Truth Social: Lance has firsthand experience getting Illegal Aliens OFF our streets and, just like ME and our Secretary of Homeland Security Markwayne Mullin, he LOVES the men and women of ICE.
Trump also called on the Senate to confirm Schroyer “IMMEDIATELY,praising him as a
PATRIOT with real operational experience, and proven leader” who has what it takes to DETAIN AND DEPORT Illegal Alien Criminals.
Behind the scenes, Mullin reportedly collaborated with White House deputy chief of staff for policy, Stephen Miller, on the selection of Schroyer to lead ICE. Mullin had pushed for a nominee that could get through the Senate and stressed his desire to pick someone who could clear the Senate. Miller, an immigration hardliner, has been widely seen as one of the driving forces behind the president’s deportation agenda. Meanwhile, Mullin has come under fire from his right flank for not being more aggressive with deportations.
Leadership Continuity at ICE Following the Withdrawal
With the nomination officially dropped, acting director David Venturella is expected to remain in his role leading the agency for the time being, according to an ICE spokesperson. ICE has been led by acting director David Venturella since June. His predecessor, Todd Lyons, stepped down, claiming he wanted to spend more time with his family after exiting the position in April. Lyons had been on the opposite side of a rift with Border Patrol commander-at-large Greg Bovino and former DHS Secretary Kristi Noem over how aggressive to be with immigration enforcement, as Lyons wanted to prioritize illegal immigrations with bad rap sheets, whereas Bovino wanted a far broader effort. The former ICE boss had the backing of border czar Tom Homan, and ultimately both Bovino and Noem were pushed out.
The collapse of Schroyer’s appointment leaves the administration searching for a permanent voice to steer an agency that has been at the forefront of President Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown, while accountability questions regarding past operational incidents linger on Capitol Hill. The Post reached out to the White House and Department of Homeland Security for comment, and an ICE spokesperson said a statement from the agency is forthcoming.