The Senate nomination for Oklahoma Richard Lance Schroyer to lead Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has been pulled by the White House, the administration made public on Thursday.
It’s unclear exactly why the White House pulled the nomination, but Fox News reported that there were concerns over Schroyer’s level of experience that might have created hurdles in the confirmation process. His background includes decades in law enforcement in Oklahoma, Homeland Security Sec. Markwayne Mullin's home state.
BREAKING: The White House has notified the Senate that President Trump is withdrawing his nominee for ICE Director, former Oklahoma state trooper Richard Schroyer, after his nomination stalled in the Senate.
— Bill Melugin (@BillMelugin_) September 17, 2026
ICE sources previously told me they were surprised by Schroyer’s…
According to CBS News, President Donald Trump posted to Truth Social at the time that “Lance is a former Oklahoma State Trooper, and United States Marine. He is a PATRIOT with real operation experience, and proven leader with DECADES of experience locking up the worst of the worst, including spearheading 287g Law Enforcement partnerships with ICE.”
When the nomination was announced in June, Mullin also praised the decision to make Schroyer the permanent ICE director, and it’s unclear who the next nominee will be.
“Lance is coming straight from the operational field where he ran large scale operations and worked alongside state and federal partners to remove illegal aliens from Oklahoma under the 287g program,” Mullin stated.
“President Trump made a great pick, and I’m confident Lance’s strong leadership and firsthand experience will empower the men and women of ICE to deport criminal illegal aliens, secure the homeland, and protect the American people,” the secretary added. “It has been 11 years since DHS has had a Senate confirmed ICE Director. The Senate must quickly confirm Lance Schroyer.”
David Venturella has been the acting director of the agency since June, and he succeeded Todd Lyons in the role.
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