CNN reports Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin recommended Lance Schroyer after his first choice failed to win White House support.
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump says he will nominate former Oklahoma Highway Patrol trooper Lance Schroyer to lead U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, following a recommendation from Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin.
CNN reported that Mullin first proposed Tulsa County Sheriff Vic Regalado for the position. Some White House officials did not consider Regalado the right fit, and Regalado separately said he removed himself from consideration.
Mullin then recommended Schroyer, whom he has publicly called “a good friend of mine.”
Schroyer, a Marine veteran, serves as a senior adviser to Mullin at the Department of Homeland Security. He previously worked on Mullin’s security detail when Mullin represented Oklahoma in the U.S. Senate.
CNN reported that Trump interviewed Schroyer before selecting him and that administration officials disagreed over whether his relative lack of immigration-enforcement experience made him the right choice.
If confirmed by the Senate, Schroyer would oversee the agency carrying out the administration’s immigration-enforcement agenda, including efforts to increase arrests and expand detention capacity.
ICE has not had a Senate-confirmed leader since Sarah Saldaña, who was confirmed in 2014 and left the agency in 2017.
Mullin praised Trump’s selection.
“President Trump made a great pick, and I’m confident Lance’s strong leadership and firsthand experience will empower the men and women of ICE to deport criminal illegal aliens, secure the homeland, and protect the American people,” Mullin said.
CNN also reported that Mullin consulted White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller during the selection process. David Venturella was expected to remain acting ICE director during the confirmation process.
