White House Withdraws Lance Schroyer's Nomination to Lead ICE

The White House withdrew Lance Schroyer's nomination to be ICE Director on September 17, 2026, without giving a public reason. Schroyer, a former Oklahoma Highway Patrol major close to DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin, had been nominated in June 2026 but never received a Senate confirmation hearing. Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY), chair of the Senate Homeland Security Committee, had blocked scheduling a hearing because he was unsatisfied with information the administration provided about an internal investigation into civilian deaths — including the fatal shootings of two U.S. citizens — during ICE enforcement operations; Paul said 'I don't have a concern with who the nominee was. I had asked them to give me an update on the internal investigation into civilian deaths.' ICE has not had a Senate-confirmed director since the Obama administration, and the White House did not indicate when it would name a replacement nominee.