The acting head of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement will leave the agency at the end of May after a tumultuous year managing President Donald Trump’s mass arrest and deportation campaign.
Todd Lyons has been the agency’s acting head since March 2025. During his tenure, he oversaw the rapid expansion of ICE ranks, while repeatedly defending the use of force in raids across the country. He was also a vocal defender of agents wearing masks, saying they needed to conceal their identities for safety.
In a statement, Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin said Lyons is expected to move to the private sector after leaving the agency on May 31.
“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.
ICE is the lead Department of Homeland Security agency managing the Trump administration’s mass deportation campaign and has become a target of growing criticism from the public and lawmakers.
In January, ICE agents shot and killed Renee Good, a U.S. citizen, during an encounter in Minnesota, the first of two fatal shootings there that set off a wave of protests.
Lyons’ departure was announced the same day an ICE agent was charged with two counts of felony assault in Minnesota after being accused of waving a gun at passing motorists during a surge operation there in February.
