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Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin said Thursday that acting Immigration and Customs Enforcement director Todd Lyons will leave his position at the end of May to take a job in the private sector.
Mullin said Lyons’ final day leading U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement will be May 31, but did not provide a specific reason for his departure.
“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 said in a statement.
“Thanks to his leadership, American communities are safer. We wish him luck on his next opportunity in the private sector,” he added.
President Donald Trump appointed Lyons to the acting role in March 2025, where he helped oversee the administration’s immigration enforcement efforts, including deportations and border security initiatives.
Border czar Tom Homan praised Lyons’ tenure, highlighting his role in expanding enforcement operations.
“ICE achieved a record number of removals in the first year of this Administration, despite unprecedented challenges,” Homan said. “I commend him for a distinguished law enforcement career and the countless contributions he has made to protect our country and advance its interests.”
The announcement of Lyons’ departure came the same day he testified before a House subcommittee during a budget hearing, where he requested $5.4 billion to support enforcement operations nationwide and an additional $2.8 billion for Homeland Security Investigations.
“Despite routine villainization, ICE personnel are working around the clock to carry out President Trump’s commonsense agenda to make Americans safe again, restore order to our communities, and implement law-and-order policies,” Lyons said in his testimony, ABC News reported.
It was not immediately clear who will be selected to replace Lyons as head of the agency, which has remained central to the Trump administration’s immigration agenda.