Acting ICE Director Todd Lyons will leave his post next month, the Department of Homeland Security announced Thursday. Lyons has served as acting director during a period of aggressive immigration enforcement that drew both praise from supporters and criticism from detractors.
His last day will be May 31, according to a statement from DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin. The secretary did not specify why Lyons is departing, saying only that the acting director would be moving to 'the private sector.'
President Donald Trump appointed Lyons as acting ICE director in March 2025, succeeding Caleb Vitello. Mullin, a former U.S. senator from Oklahoma and political ally of Trump, was confirmed as DHS secretary in late March after the administration fired his predecessor Kristi Noem.
What the Right Is Saying
Conservative Republicans have praised Lyons's leadership, arguing that his tenure delivered on Trump's campaign promise to enforce immigration laws more aggressively.
White House border czar Tom Homan, who served as acting ICE director during Trump's first term, said Thursday that under Lyons's leadership 'ICE achieved a record number of removals in the first year of this Administration, despite unprecedented challenges.'
White House adviser Stephen Miller, a key architect of the administration's hardline immigration agenda, called Lyons 'a phenomenal patriot and dedicated leader who has been at the center of President Trump's historic efforts to secure our homeland and reverse the Democrats' sinister border invasion.'
Senator John Kennedy of Louisiana said in a statement that Lyons 'did the job the American people hired him to do' and called his departure 'a loss for law enforcement.'
What the Left Is Saying
Democratic lawmakers and immigrant rights advocates have long criticized Lyons's tenure, pointing to the controversial enforcement tactics that targeted so-called sanctuary cities and resulted in high-profile confrontations.
Representative Pramila Jayapal, chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, said during previous hearings that ICE's enforcement priorities 'targeted immigrant families rather than focusing on public safety.' The congresswoman has called for greater oversight of the agency and stricter guidelines on when federal agents can engage with local law enforcement.
Immigration advocacy groups including the American Immigration Lawyers Association and United We Dream have repeatedly called for Lyons's resignation, citing what they describe as excessive force and mission creep. Following the fatal shootings in Minneapolis, these groups intensified their calls for accountability.
What the Numbers Show
At a congressional hearing in February, Lyons testified that ICE made 379,000 arrests during the first year of the Trump administration. He said the agency removed over 475,000 people from the United States during that period.
The two fatal shootings in Minneapolis occurred in January. The victims were identified as Renee Good and Alex Pretti, both U.S. citizens. Lyons declined to apologize for the incidents during the February hearing.
The mass immigration crackdowns targeted cities including Chicago, New York, Los Angeles, and Denver, all Democratic-led jurisdictions that have adopted policies limiting cooperation with federal immigration authorities. The enforcement actions generated protests in each city where they were conducted.
Trump's campaign promised large-scale deportations, and the administration has argued that enforcement is necessary for public safety. Critics have said agents were detaining long-term residents without serious criminal records rather than focusing on individuals who pose a threat.
The Bottom Line
Lyons's departure marks the end of a turbulent chapter at ICE that saw record enforcement numbers but also significant controversy. Mullin did not announce who will succeed Lyons as acting director.
The departure comes as the administration continues to pursue aggressive immigration enforcement, though some legal challenges remain ongoing. Immigration policy experts say the next ICE director will inherit an agency operating under intense scrutiny from both sides of the political aisle.
What to watch: Whether the Biden-era policy shifts that limited local cooperation with federal immigration authorities will be further rolled back, and how the agency handles ongoing legal challenges to its enforcement priorities.