Lyons Out as Director of ICE

Acting Director of the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Todd Lyons. Source: NewsNation.

Todd Lyons, the acting director of the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, announced his resignation on Thursday, with his departure set to take effect May 31. The news broke the same day he testified before a House Appropriations subcommittee on ICE's fiscal year 2027 budget. Lyons has served with ICE for 20 years and was previously in special forces in the U.S. Air Force. Under his tenure, the agency took the lead in the Trump administration's mass deportation agenda, rapidly scaling up sweeping arrests across the country, overseeing a hiring surge that brought on 12,000 new employees, and carrying out over 570,000 deportations. According to a source familiar with the matter, Lyons stated in his resignation letter that he wants to spend more time with his family, and that he plans to pursue an opportunity in the private sector. His exit comes amid significant turbulence. Lyons faced sharp scrutiny over the fatal shootings of U.S. citizens in Minneapolis in January, as well as criticism over agents entering homes without judicial warrants and the deportation of immigrants to a maximum-security prison in El Salvador without due process. Lyons told Congress the agency conducted 37 investigations into officers' use of force last year, though he declined to say whether anyone was fired. ICE has cycled through multiple acting leaders in recent years and has lacked a Senate-confirmed director. No successor has been publicly named. The ICE director position requires Senate confirmation; Lyons had only ever served in an acting capacity.