ICE acting director Todd Lyons to resign at end of May

Lyons’ departure marks a significant leadership change at the center of the Trump administration’s immigration enforcement strategy, as the agency grapples with public controversy and congressional pressure over its operations.

Todd Lyons, who led U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement as a key executor of President Donald Trump’s mass deportations agenda, will resign at the end of May, Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin announced Thursday. Lyons’ last day will be May 31.

The announcement comes after the agency faced mounting scrutiny over high-profile enforcement operations and the deaths of two American protesters during federal immigration officer conduct.

Mullin said Lyons was a great leader of ICE who helped make American communities safer. “We wish him luck on his next opportunity in the private sector,” Mullin said in a statement.

Leadership during expansion

Lyons was named acting director in March 2025. Under his leadership, ICE was granted a massive infusion of cash through Congress, which the agency used to expand hiring and detention capabilities. ICE ramped up arrests to meet demand from the administration.

The agency was central to a series of high-profile immigration enforcement operations in American cities, including Chicago and Minneapolis. Those deployments ended after backlash over the deaths of two American protesters at the hands of federal immigration officers.

Stephen Miller, the president’s deputy chief of staff and the main architect of his immigration policy, called Lyons a “dedicated leader.” His work at ICE “has saved countless thousands of American lives and helped deliver safety and tranquility to millions of Americans,” Miller said in a statement.

Tom Homan, Trump’s border czar, called Lyons “a highly respected and effective acting Director of ICE.”

Congressional focus on deaths

Lyons faced questions in Congress over the shooting deaths of Renee Good and Alex Pretti, protesters killed during federal immigration enforcement operations. When asked if he would apologize for how Trump administration officials characterized Good as an agitator, he declined.

“I welcome the opportunity to speak to the family in private. But I’m not going to comment on any active investigation,” Lyons said.

He said he had seen video that captured Pretti’s shooting but could not comment, citing an ongoing investigation.

Succession and political pressure

It is not clear who might replace Lyons. Whoever does will take over an agency flush with cash while under intense congressional scrutiny. ICE is at the center of a battle in Congress, with Democratic lawmakers demanding restraints on immigration officers before agreeing to restore routine funding for the Department of Homeland Security.

Lyons’ departure also comes as the Department of Homeland Security underwent a leadership change. Trump fired former Secretary Kristi Noem, who led the department through the administration’s major immigration policy changes. Markwayne Mullin, who took over as secretary last month, is likely to continue to advance the president’s agenda but has struck a softer tone on some of the administration’s most contentious policies.

Public perception

Public perceptions of ICE during Lyons’ tenure were low. In a February AP-NORC poll, most U.S. adults, including independents, reported having an unfavorable view of the agency.

Lyons joined ICE in 2007 as an immigration enforcement agent in Texas. He signed off on a memo, first obtained by The Associated Press, that granted federal immigration officers sweeping powers to forcibly enter homes and make arrests without a judge’s warrant.