Trump taps former Oklahoma Highway Patrolman Lance Schroyer to lead ICE
Trump taps former Oklahoma Highway Patrolman Lance Schroyer to lead ICE
Staff and wire reports, OklahomanSat, June 27, 2026 at 10:38 PM UTC
0
WASHINGTON — U.S. President Donald Trump said on Saturday that he will nominate Oklahoma-native Lance Schroyer as the next director of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
"Lance has over 29 YEARS of Law Enforcement experience in Oklahoma," Trump posted on social media. "The Senate must CONFIRM Lance, IMMEDIATELY — Do not delay."
ICE has operated for years with directors serving in an "acting" capacity. The agency has been without a Senate-confirmed director since early 2017.
Trump has made cracking down on immigration a top priority since taking office last year, but rights groups say the government's actions violate civil liberties and create an unsafe environment for ethnic minorities in particular.
ICE has been at the heart of Trump's crackdown with its immigration detentions and attempted deportations. ICE agents' fatal shooting of two U.S. citizens in Minnesota, Alex Pretti and Renee Good, in January sparked nationwide protests.
At least 50 people have died in U.S. immigration detention since Trump launched his mass deportation campaign, according to a Reuters analysis of Immigration and Customs Enforcement records.
The death rate has more than doubled since the U.S. president returned to office, reaching about one death for every 1,630 people based on preliminary data through early June.
Trump has justified the crackdown by saying it aims to cut illegal immigration and improve domestic security.
Advertisement
Schroyer is a former Oklahoma State Trooper and U.S. Marine with previous immigration enforcement experience, Trump said.
DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin on Lance Schroyer
Department of Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin, a former U.S. Senator from Oklahoma, praised Schroyer's nomination on Saturday:
“President Trump has nominated Lance Schroyer to serve as the ICE Director. With over 29 years of law enforcement experience, Lance will play a vital role in helping deliver on the President’s mandate from the American people to target, arrest, and deport illegal aliens," Mullin said.
“Lance is coming straight from the operational field where he ran large scale operations and worked alongside state and federal partners to remove illegal aliens from Oklahoma under the 287g program.
“President Trump made a great pick, and I’m confident Lance’s strong leadership and firsthand experience will empower the men and women of ICE to deport criminal illegal aliens, secure the homeland, and protect the American people.
“It has been 11 years since DHS has had a Senate confirmed ICE Director. The Senate must quickly confirm Lance Schroyer.”
Reuters reporters Jasper Ward in Washington and Laila Kearney in New York contributed to this report.
This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Trump nominates Lance Schroyer as new ICE director
Source: “AOL Breaking”
