White House Withdraws Nomination for ICE Director
Lance Schroyer's nomination faced criticism from both parties over his qualifications.
The White House has withdrawn the nomination of Lance Schroyer to be the next director of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), according to a notice posted on the White House website.
Schroyer, a former Oklahoma state trooper and a close confidant of Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin, was nominated in June. However, his candidacy encountered pushback from members of both parties who questioned his qualifications for the role. The nomination had stalled in the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee.
The agency has not had a Senate-confirmed director since 2017. Todd Lyons, the former acting ICE Director, retired in May, and David Venturella has been leading the agency since then. Venturella is a former private prisons executive.
The White House did not provide a reason for withdrawing Schroyer's nomination. ICE, which has a budget exceeding $75 billion, has become a central agency in the administration's deportation efforts. Republicans in Congress have provided the agency with resources to support the administration's agenda.
ICE has drawn scrutiny for its tactics in deporting undocumented immigrants, with some critics alleging a rush to hire unqualified candidates. President Trump had initially promoted Schroyer's 29 years of law enforcement service in Oklahoma and stated Schroyer would enforce the administration's crackdown on undocumented immigrants. Schroyer, who also served in the Marine Corps, was reportedly Mullin's choice to lead ICE.