White House withdraws ICE director nominee Richard Schroyer

ICE has lacked Senate-confirmed director since 2017

The White House on Thursday withdrew President Donald Trump’s nomination of Richard Schroyer to lead U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, ending a standoff with a Republican senator who refused to advance the confirmation over unanswered questions about ICE and Border Patrol shootings in Minneapolis.

The withdrawal was communicated in a short memo that did not explain the decision. The BBC has contacted the White House for comment. Schroyer’s nomination never reached a full Senate vote; it had stalled in the Senate Homeland Security Committee, which Paul chairs.

Republican Senator Rand Paul had stalled the nomination as he pressed for more information about ICE and Border Patrol shootings that killed two Americans — Renee Good and Alex Pretti, both U.S. citizens — in separate confrontations with ICE agents in January. National protests took place earlier this year following the deaths of Good and Pretti. Paul said he would not advance the nomination to a full vote until the White House provided more information about the Minneapolis killings.

Schroyer had been serving as a senior aide to Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin when Trump picked him in June. He is a close ally of Mullin, whose department oversees ICE and other immigration and border agencies. Schroyer spent 29 years with the Oklahoma Highway Patrol and also served in the U.S. Marines. His selection was seen as a surprise given his lack of experience overseeing such a large law enforcement agency.

ICE has not had a Senate-confirmed director since 2017 and has cycled through a series of temporary chiefs. The agency is currently led by David Venturella, a former private prison executive who took over after acting director Todd Lyon announced his departure from the top job in April. The leadership vacancy persists as the White House continues Trump’s campaign pledge to lead the largest deportation effort in U.S. history.

BBC News reported the withdrawal marks a defeat for Trump and Mullin as the White House continues Trump’s campaign pledge to lead the largest deportation effort in U.S. history.

Representative Maria Elvira Salazar, a Republican from Florida, released an advertisement filmed outside the White House on Thursday warning Trump that some of his immigration enforcement efforts have gone too far. Salazar cautioned that Hispanic voters who helped deliver Trump’s 2024 victory could turn their backs on the party when they go to the polls in November.

“Mr. President, some of your immigration enforcement efforts have gone too far,” Salazar said in the advertisement. “Be careful what your advisers are telling you about immigration policy. The same Hispanics who helped you get to the White House in 2024 feel betrayed today.”

One of the promises that helped Trump take the White House in 2024 — cracking down on illegal immigration — has now divided voters going into the congressional midterm elections less than two months from now, according to BBC reporting.