Trump picks Lance Schroyer to lead ICE

President Donald Trump said Saturday he will nominate Lance Schroyer, a former Oklahoma state trooper and US Marine, to run Immigration and Customs Enforcement. If confirmed by the Senate, Schroyer would lead an agency central to Trump’s deportation push as ICE faces scrutiny over enforcement tactics and deaths in custody.

Trump announced the pick on Truth Social, citing Schroyer’s 29 years in law enforcement and military service. The president said Schroyer had the ability to detain and deport people he described as undocumented immigrants with criminal records.

Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin also backed Schroyer, saying he had worked in the field with state and federal partners in Oklahoma. Mullin said Schroyer helped remove undocumented immigrants under the 287(g) programme, which allows ICE to authorise some state and local officers to perform immigration enforcement duties under federal supervision.

Schroyer would enter the post without experience leading a federal agency, a point likely to draw questions during the confirmation process. Trump and Mullin argued that his law enforcement record makes him suited for the job.

If approved, Schroyer would replace acting ICE Director David Venturella. Venturella, whose government immigration career dates to the 1980s and who previously worked for private prison company Geo Group, has led the agency on an interim basis since May.

Venturella took over after Todd Lyons, another acting ICE director, left the post. Lyons, who had worked with ICE since 2007, said in April that he planned to step down at the end of the following month to spend more time with his family.

Lyons’s departure came during a period of criticism of ICE operations. Al Jazeera reported that the agency faced allegations of excessive force and violations of civil liberty protections during Trump’s immigration crackdown.

In Minnesota, ICE activity carried out as Operation Metro Surge led to the shooting death of Renee Nicole Good in January, according to Al Jazeera. In another case, federal immigration agents allegedly entered a Minnesota home without a warrant and wrongfully detained US citizen Chongly Scott Thao, taking him outside in the snow while he was in his underwear.

Al Jazeera also reported that an ICE agent was arrested after the non-fatal shooting of Venezuelan immigrant Julio Sosa-Celis. Minneapolis prosecutors accused the agent of falsely reporting a crime, and Lyons said the agent appeared to have made untruthful statements and opened an inquiry into the matter.

ICE has also faced pressure over conditions in detention. At least 19 people have died in ICE custody this year, according to Al Jazeera. On Friday, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk called for authorities to be held accountable for such deaths.

Democrats in Congress earlier this year refused to approve funding for ICE and US Customs and Border Protection unless new conditions were added, according to Al Jazeera. Those demands included clearer identification by immigration agents, stronger limits on excessive force, oversight requirements and an end to racial profiling.

The proposed changes did not pass. Funding for ICE and CBP was approved on June 9 after a months-long delay, with votes in both chambers falling along party lines.

Mullin said ICE has gone 11 years without a Senate-confirmed director. The last confirmed director was Sarah Saldaña, an Obama administration appointee whose term ended in 2017, and acting directors have led the agency since Trump’s first presidency began.

Trump and Mullin both urged the Senate to confirm Schroyer quickly. The nomination comes after several senior departures in the Trump administration, including former Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem and former Attorney General Pam Bondi, according to Al Jazeera.

This story draws on original reporting from Al Jazeera.