Todd Lyons, the acting director of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) announced on Friday that he is stepping down after running the agency during President Donald Trump’s second term.
His last day is set for May 31 and comes just over a year after he was tapped to lead ICE.
From CNN:
Acting Immigration and Customs Enforcement Director Todd Lyons is stepping down from his role later this spring, Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin announced Thursday.
Lyons, a veteran of the federal agency, was tasked with overseeing the Trump administration’s mass deportation plan as the acting ICE chief, placing him under immense scrutiny as the agency ramped up arrests last year and on the heels of the shootings of two US citizens by federal agents in January.
In a statement, Mullin called Lyons 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 noted that Lyons plans to move into the private sector after his departure. But there is no indication of who will replace him. ICE has not had a Senate-confirmed leader since the Obama administration.
ICE acting director Todd Lyons will resign at end of May, DHS says - The Associated Press
— Ron C. Smith (@LostkeysBH) April 17, 2026
He's doing a hell of a job! And he will be missed. He's going back to work in the private sector. https://t.co/lcKNUVez43
Lyons was one of the primary figures involved in carrying out President Trump’s mass deportation agenda. Under his leadership, the agency won a massive budget increase from Congress, allowing it to hire more officers, expand detention spaces, and ramp up immigration enforcement operations in places like Chicago, Minneapolis, and several others.
Fox News correspondent Kevin Corke confirms a major shakeup in Washington. Acting ICE Director Todd Lyons has abruptly resigned after executing half a million deportations under Donald Trump. The sudden departure exposes the deep instability plaguing the administration. pic.twitter.com/SbkRlGY453
— Furkan Gözükara (@FurkanGozukara) April 17, 2026
Before his tenure as acting ICE director, Lyons spent almost two decades working for the agency after serving in the Air Force. He joined the agency in 2007 as an enforcement agent in Texas and later worked his way up to field office director for Enforcement and Removal Operations in Boston. He oversaw arrests and deportations across New England.