Trump Nominates Lance Schroyer as ICE Director: Who Is the Former Oklahoma State Trooper?

President Donald Trump announced Saturday that he will nominate Lance Schroyer — a former U.S. Marine, 29-year Oklahoma law enforcement veteran, and current senior adviser to DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin — to lead Immigration and Customs Enforcement as his administration accelerates its mass deportation campaign.

President Donald Trump announced Saturday that he is nominating Lance Schroyer, a former Oklahoma state trooper, as the next director of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement — placing a little-known state law enforcement figure in line to lead one of the federal government’s most powerful and politically charged agencies.

Trump made the announcement in a Truth Social post, writing: “I am very pleased to announce that I have nominated Lance Schroyer to be our next ICE Director. Lance has over 29 YEARS of Law Enforcement experience in Oklahoma.” NBC News

Trump described his new pick as a former U.S. Marine and a “PATRIOT with real operational experience,” calling Schroyer a “proven leader with DECADES of experience locking up the worst of the worst.” CNBC

Who Is Lance Schroyer?

Schroyer is a longtime law enforcement officer with more than 29 years of experience in Oklahoma, largely within the Oklahoma Highway Patrol. Over his career with the state agency, he rose through the ranks from trooper to major, overseeing emergency services operations, disaster response, and specialized tactical units. Newsweek

He currently serves as a senior adviser to Department of Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin, overseeing the strategic coordination of immigration enforcement and serving as the liaison among local, regional, and federal law enforcement agencies. A former Marine, he previously served as a major in the Oklahoma Department of Public Safety’s Emergency Services Unit, where he directed specialized units tasked with operations including disaster response, civil disturbance, and immigration enforcement. CNN

Schroyer has been involved in efforts that link local policing to federal immigration authorities, particularly through 287(g) programs, which allow state and local law enforcement agencies to partner with federal immigration authorities. Newsweek

His professional background is rooted almost entirely at the state level rather than within federal immigration leadership — a distinction that is likely to draw close examination from lawmakers during his confirmation hearings. Newsweek

The Mullin Connection

Schroyer hails from the same home state as DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin, a former congressman. That connection appears central to the nomination. Three sources familiar with Trump’s choice told NBC News that Mullin has been pushing for Schroyer to lead the agency for some time. CNBCNBC News

Mullin quickly praised Schroyer’s nomination, saying: “It has been 11 years since the Department of Homeland Security has had a Senate-confirmed ICE Director. The Senate must quickly confirm Lance Schroyer.” CNN

Mullin added: “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.” U.S. News & World Report

A former senior ICE official, Claire Trickler-McNulty, offered candid analysis of the appointment. She said prior confirmed ICE directors have often been attorneys, though some state and local law enforcement officials have also been nominated, and that Schroyer’s background in Oklahoma suggests Mullin may have had influence over the pick. “I think probably given the attention on ICE, he wants to feel like he has somebody he can trust in there,” she said. CNBC

Replacing a Revolving Door at ICE

Trump’s nomination announcement comes after a chaotic year for ICE and DHS. Former ICE director Todd Lyons, a veteran of the federal agency who was tasked with overseeing the Trump administration’s mass deportation plan, faced immense scrutiny as the agency ramped up arrests and on the heels of the fatal shootings of two U.S. citizens by federal agents in January. CNN

Lyons resigned at the end of May. David Venturella, a former executive at a private prison operator, has been serving as the acting head of the agency. A DHS official said current acting director Venturella will continue to serve until Schroyer is confirmed. CNBCNBC News

ICE has not had a Senate-confirmed director since the Obama administration, a result of polarizing politics around the agency and immigration policy. Schroyer’s confirmation, if it proceeds, would end more than a decade without permanent, Senate-confirmed leadership at one of the nation’s most consequential immigration agencies. PBS

Nomination Arrives After Supreme Court Victories

The timing of Schroyer’s nomination is significant. It comes on the heels of two Supreme Court victories for Trump’s anti-immigration agenda this week. The high court ruled Thursday to remove legal protections from thousands of Haitian and Syrian immigrants in the U.S., clearing a path for their deportation. That same day, the Supreme Court ruled in favor of the Trump administration’s bid to make it easier to regulate the entry of asylum seekers at the U.S.-Mexico border. NBC News

Trump on Saturday highlighted Schroyer’s expected role in carrying out the president’s promise for large-scale deportations and immigration crackdowns across the U.S., writing: “Importantly, Lance Schroyer has what it takes to DETAIN AND DEPORT Illegal Alien Criminals. He is a PATRIOT with real operational experience, and proven leader with DECADES of experience locking up the worst of the worst.” NBC News

A Controversial Backdrop

Schroyer steps into one of the most embattled roles in the federal government. Recent operations tied to the Trump administration’s crackdown on illegal immigration have drawn criticism from some members of Congress, who have raised concerns about large-scale raids, detention conditions, and the impact on immigrant communities. Incidents involving federal agents have drawn particular scrutiny, including the fatal shooting of two U.S. citizens in Minnesota in January, which sparked nationwide protests. Additionally, human rights advocacy organizations have flagged deteriorating conditions within the system, citing a Reuters analysis of ICE records that found at least 50 people have died in immigration custody since the launch of the mass deportation drive. Newsweek

Schroyer has local law enforcement experience, but not specifically with ICE, which could come as a surprise to ICE rank-and-file officers and agents, two sources said. NBC News

Mullin, who took the reins at DHS in March after Trump fired the agency’s former secretary Kristi Noem, has begun to make some policy changes but faces pressure from lawmakers, including Republicans, to go further in seeking to right the embattled department. CNN

What Comes Next

Schroyer’s nomination now heads to the Senate, where it will face a confirmation hearing. Lawmakers are expected to closely examine his lack of direct federal immigration enforcement experience and probe his record at the state level. Democrats have indicated they will scrutinize the nomination in the context of the administration’s broader immigration crackdown.

Trump urged the Senate to immediately confirm Schroyer as ICE director, noting the agency has been without a Senate-confirmed leader since the Obama administration. CNN

Whether the Senate moves quickly — as Mullin is demanding — or subjects the nomination to the kind of prolonged political battle that has left ICE leaderless for more than a decade will be one of the defining early tests of this appointment. What is not in doubt is the mission Trump is handing Schroyer if he is confirmed: an immigration enforcement campaign that the president has described as the most aggressive deportation drive in American history.

Sources: CNBC · CNN Politics · NBC News · PBS NewsHour · Newsweek · The Washington Post · U.S. News & World Report

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