U.S. President Donald Trump on the 27th (local time) nominated Lance Schroyer, a former Oklahoma police officer, to be the Director General of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), which oversees immigration enforcement.
Trump said on Truth Social, the social media (SNS) platform, that "Lance worked in law enforcement in Oklahoma for 29 years and has the skills needed to detain and deport, at an unprecedented pace, illegal immigrants who are murderers, rapists, and drug traffickers," revealing the nomination.
He added, "The Senate must confirm Lance immediately. There can be no further delay." Since 2017, ICE has not produced a Director General confirmed by the Senate and has been run under acting directors for nearly the past 10 years.
With Schroyer's nomination, some expect President Trump to again accelerate tighter immigration enforcement ahead of the midterm elections in November. After returning to power, Trump pushed an ultra-hardline immigration crackdown, but as backlash grew following incidents such as the deaths of two Americans in Minnesota this year who opposed an operation and were shot by enforcement officers, the administration has partially adjusted the intensity of operations.
ICE has been led by Acting Director David Venturella since Acting Director General Todd Lyons resigned at the end of last month. If Schroyer wins Senate confirmation and takes office as the next Director General, he will lead ICE, which has drawn public criticism for its hardline immigration enforcement, the AP said.