White House Drops Schroyer ICE Director Bid

The White House has withdrawn its nomination of Lance Schroyer to become the next director of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), according to a notice posted on the White House website on Thursday.

The move ends a bid to fill a leadership post that has been without a Senate-confirmed director since 2017. Former acting ICE director Todd Lyons retired in May, and David Venturella, a former private prisons executive, has been running the agency since then.

Stalled After Qualifications Questions

Schroyer, a former Oklahoma state trooper and a close confidant of Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin, was nominated in June. His appointment attracted pushback from members of the president’s base as well as from Democrats, who said he lacked the qualifications for the role.

Schroyer’s nomination stalled in the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee.

The White House did not state why it withdrew the nomination. ABC News said it contacted the White House for comment.

ICE Budget And Deportation Focus

ICE operates with a budget of more than $75 billion, making it the largest budget of any law enforcement agency in the United States.

The agency has become a central part of the president’s second-term deportation push. Republicans control Congress and have provided ICE with resources aimed at supporting the administration’s agenda.

ICE has also faced scrutiny during its efforts to deport people in the country illegally. Some Democrats have described the agency’s approach as heavy-handed and have raised concerns about what they see as a rush to hire candidates without the necessary qualifications.

Trump Highlighted Law Enforcement Service

When Schroyer was nominated in June, Donald Trump highlighted what he described as 29 years of service as a law enforcement officer in Oklahoma. The president said Schroyer would enforce the administration’s crackdown on undocumented immigrants.

Schroyer served in the Marine Corps and is currently a senior adviser to Mullin, a former senator from Oklahoma. A source with knowledge of the nomination decision told ABC News that Schroyer was Mullin’s pick to lead ICE.

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18 September 2026