Trump nominates new ICE director as detainee deaths in custody being investigated

Your support helps us to tell the story

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it’s investigating the financials of Elon Musk’s pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, ‘The A Word’, which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.

Your support makes all the difference.

President Donald Trump announced on Saturday that he is nominating Lance Schroyer to become the next director of Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

“Lance has over 29 YEARS of Law Enforcement experience in Oklahoma,” Trump wrote on Truth Social. “Lance is a former Oklahoma State Trooper, and United States Marine.”

If confirmed, Schroyer will replace acting ICE Director David Venturella.

Trump continued, saying Schroyer “LOVES the men and women of ICE.”

“Importantly, Lance Schroyer has what it takes to DETAIN AND DEPORT Illegal Alien Criminals, including murders, rapists, and drug traffickers at a rate never seen before!” he wrote.

Lance Schroyer, former Oklahoma State Trooper, has been nominated by President Donald Trump to become the next director of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (Oklahoma Highway Patrol)

The announcement comes amid a new investigation by the Department of Homeland Security’s inspector general into detainee deaths at ICE facilities.

The investigation will include a pair of reviews probing detainee deaths and proper use-of-force when ICE agents interact with individuals they’ve detained, according to NBC News.

More than 50 people have died in ICE custody since Trump’s return to office. There have been 20 deaths of detainees in ICE custody in 2026, according to ICE’s data. There were 33 last year, and 11 in 2024.

On Thursday, Democratic Congresswoman Lauren Underwood questioned Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin about the “historically high death rate” at ICE detention facilities.

He brushed off the allegation, saying that detainees were more likely to die in a state penitentiary in her state than they were in an ICE facility.

“Those are dangerous accusations that she’s making, because in the state of Illinois, they’re twice as high to die in a state penitentiary in Illinois than they are in ICE detention,” Mullin said.

This is a developing story.