# Trump withdraws ICE nominee Lance Schroyer

> The former Oklahoma state trooper's nomination to lead Immigration and Customs Enforcement is withdrawn, leaving the agency without a Senate-confirmed leader.
- Title: Trump withdraws ICE nominee Lance Schroyer · NPR | Shortify
- Summary: The former Oklahoma state trooper's nomination to lead Immigration and Customs Enforcement is withdrawn, leaving the agency without a Senate-confirmed…
- Keywords: trump administration, ice, immigration and customs enforcement, lance schroyer, markwayne mullin, homeland security, senate confirmation, mass deportations, rand paul, enforcement operations, news, Trump
- Source: NPR — https://npr.org/2026/09/17/nx-s1-5973271/trump-withdraws-lance-schroyer-a-former-oklahoma-state-trooper-as-his-nominee-to-lead-ice
- Published: 2026-09-17T00:00:00+00:00
- Read time: 1 min
- Topics: trump administration, ice, immigration and customs enforcement, lance schroyer, markwayne mullin, homeland security, senate confirmation, mass deportations, rand paul, enforcement operations, news
## Trump withdraws ICE nominee
The White House withdrew Lance Schroyer's nomination to lead U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement on Thursday, leaving the agency without a Senate-confirmed leader.
## Schroyer lacked immigration experience
Schroyer, a former Oklahoma state trooper with little immigration background, was close to Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin, a former U.S. senator from Oklahoma.
## ICE under scrutiny for deaths
The agency faces criticism over how it recruited and trained officers for mass deportations. Officers have shot and killed multiple people, including two American citizens in Minneapolis earlier this year.
## Rand Paul blocked confirmation hearing
Senate Homeland Security Committee Chairman Rand Paul refused to hold a hearing on Schroyer's nomination until DHS provided information about civilian deaths during ICE enforcement operations.

> I don't have a concern with who the nominee was. I had asked them to give me an update on the internal investigation into civilian deaths.
## Arrests accelerate under Mullin
Since Markwayne Mullin took over DHS in March and pledged a lower-profile approach, arrests have accelerated to nearly 51,000 in August, the highest single monthly total of Trump's second term.
## ICE lacks permanent leadership
ICE has not had a Senate-confirmed leader since the Obama administration. Acting director David Venturella, a former private prison executive, took over after Todd Lyons resigned earlier this year.
## Key takeaway

ICE remains without a permanent Senate-confirmed leader as the agency faces scrutiny over officer-involved deaths and aggressive enforcement tactics.