Donald Trump announced on Saturday that he will nominate Lance Schroyer to become the next director of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, replacing acting director David Venturella.

The agency has operated without a Senate‑confirmed director since early 2017, the longest interval in its history. Trump has made reducing illegal immigration and improving domestic security a central goal of his administration. Rights groups say the administration’s enforcement actions infringe on civil liberties and pose risks to ethnic minority communities. The fatal shooting of two U.S. citizens in Minnesota in January sparked nationwide protests.

In a Truth Social post, Trump described Schroyer as a patriot with more than 29 years of law enforcement experience in Oklahoma, a former Oklahoma State Trooper and United States Marine. Markwayne Mullin, the Department of Homeland Security secretary, said on X that Schroyer will help fulfill the president’s mandate to target, arrest and deport illegal aliens, noting his experience leading large‑scale 287(g) operations with state and federal partners. Both Trump and Mullin urged the Senate to confirm the nomination promptly, noting that it has been 11 years since the Senate last confirmed an ICE director.

Civil rights organizations have criticized the administration’s immigration enforcement strategy, arguing that it violates constitutional protections. The Senate must now decide whether to confirm Schroyer’s nomination, a decision that will determine the agency’s leadership and continue the administration’s immigration policy direction.