Acting ICE Director Todd Lyons to step down from agency at end of May

Washington DC [US], April 17 : Acting Director of US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), Todd Lyons, will step down from his position at the end of May, US officials confirmed on Thursday (local time).

In a post on X, Markwayne Mullin, Secretary of the US Department of Homeland Security, announced that Lyons' last day in office will be May 31, 2026, while praising his leadership and contributions to the agency.

"Director Lyons has been a great leader of ICE and key player in helping the Trump administration remove murderers, rapists, pedophiles, terrorists, and gang members from American communities," Mullin stated in his post.

"He jump-started an agency that had not been allowed to do its job for four years. Thanks to his leadership, American communities are safer. We wish him luck on his next opportunity in the private sector," he further added.

Lyons, a long-time official within the federal agency, was appointed as acting ICE chief to oversee the Trump administration's mass deportation drive, placing him under intense scrutiny.

His tenure coincided with a surge in arrests and followed the fatal shootings of two US citizens by federal ICE agents in January, incidents that drew widespread attention and criticism.

According to CNN, it remains unclear who will succeed Lyons after his departure, with ICE having lacked a Senate-confirmed leader since the Obama administration.

Earlier, Lyons appeared before a US House Appropriations subcommittee, where lawmakers questioned him on a record number of deaths in ICE custody as well as the agency's future detention capacity plans, as reported by CNN.

ICE, which operates under the US Department of Homeland Security, has been central to US President Donald Trump's broader crackdown on illegal immigration.

Last month, Trump removed former DHS Secretary Kristi Noem from her position amid mounting scrutiny and appointed Markwayne Mullin as her replacement.

Lyons was appointed as the acting director of ICE in March 2025.

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