Acting ICE Director Todd Lyons to Resign Amid Scrutiny and Leadership Turmoil

Todd Lyons, the acting director of the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, will leave his post on May 31, 2026, Secretary of Homeland Security Markwayne Mullin announced on April 16. Mullin confirmed the departure in a public statement, describing Lyons as "a great leader" and wishing him luck in his next career opportunity in the private sector. Lyons submitted his resignation to Mullin after leading the agency since March 2025, when President Donald Trump selected him directly for the acting director role. White House spokesperson Abigail Jackson also praised the outgoing director, calling him "a great patriot who made our country safer." Mullin did not specify who will succeed Lyons in the role, leaving the agency's leadership position vacant ahead of the transition.

Lyons testified on custody deaths hours before news broke Hours before the resignation became public, Lyons testified before a House Appropriations subcommittee, answering lawmakers' questions about the number of deaths in ICE custody and the agency's future plans for detention facilities. According to official data, 50 detainees held by ICE have died in its detention centers since the beginning of 2026. At a congressional hearing in February, Lyons stated that ICE had made 379,000 arrests and deported more than 475,000 people from the United States during the first year of the Trump administration. Those figures underscored the scale of the enforcement campaign that Lyons oversaw throughout his tenure.

Minnesota shootings and criminal indictment deepened agency controversy Lyons' departure follows a series of controversies that drew sustained public and legal scrutiny to the agency. In January 2026, ICE agents fatally shot two U.S. citizens — Alex Pretti and Renee Good — during operations in Minnesota, sparking nationwide protests and condemnation from human rights organizations. Renee Good, a 37-year-old Minneapolis resident, was shot dead in her car by an ICE agent, according to reporting cited across multiple outlets. Minnesota prosecutors subsequently indicted an ICE agent for assault in February 2026, accusing him of pointing a weapon at the occupants of a car — the first criminal case against an ICE agent in connection with the January campaign. The ICE operation in Minneapolis was eventually aborted following the deaths and the protests they triggered. Rights groups have argued that the agency's methods went far beyond the government's stated goal of targeting violent criminals, with critics contending that agents terrorized local communities and separated families. Trump defended ICE's actions, stating that tough enforcement is necessary to reduce crime and illegal immigration.

DHS leadership reshuffled as funding crisis drags on Lyons' exit comes amid broader turbulence at the Department of Homeland Security, which has seen significant leadership changes and a prolonged funding dispute. Kristi Noem, who served as Secretary of Homeland Security and ordered the mass immigration raids, was dismissed by Trump on March 5, 2026. Markwayne Mullin, a former Republican senator from Oklahoma, succeeded Noem and has been in office for only a matter of weeks. Congress has failed to reach an agreement on DHS funding, leaving the agency's operations constrained for more than two months. With Lyons' departure, ICE will again lack a confirmed leader at the top — the agency has not had a Senate-confirmed director since the Barack Obama administration, which ran from 2009 to 2017. ICE was established under the Department of Homeland Security and has operated without a Senate-confirmed director since the Obama administration. The agency became central to the Trump administration's immigration enforcement agenda beginning in early 2025, conducting large-scale arrest and deportation operations across the country. Kristi Noem served as Secretary of Homeland Security from 2025 until her dismissal in March 2026, during which period the mass raids were ordered. Markwayne Mullin, previously a U.S. senator from Oklahoma, was appointed to replace Noem and took office in March 2026. Lyons joined ICE in 2007 and held senior positions including associate executive director of the Enforcement and Removal Operations directorate before being elevated to acting director. „We wish him luck in his new opportunity in the private sector.” — Markwayne Mullin via AP