{"id":4390,"date":"2026-06-30T10:04:55","date_gmt":"2026-06-30T10:04:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/relocationtimess.com\/?p=4390"},"modified":"2026-06-30T10:04:55","modified_gmt":"2026-06-30T10:04:55","slug":"how-trump-chose-a-former-oklahoma-state-trooper-to-lead-ice-and-handed-markwayne-mullin-a-win","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/relocationtimess.com\/?p=4390","title":{"rendered":"How Trump chose a former Oklahoma state trooper to lead ICE \u2014 and handed Markwayne Mullin a win"},"content":{"rendered":"
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\n After an occasionally rocky start in his new post, Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin won an internal debate when President Donald Trump announced he was nominating Lance Schroyer, a former Oklahoma state trooper, to lead Immigration and Customs Enforcement, five sources familiar with the dynamic told CNN.\n <\/p>

Read more This \u2018living fossil\u2019 is threatened with extinction by demand for its fins. A scientist is turning fishers into its guardians<\/a><\/p>\n

\n The federal agency, which falls under DHS, is charged with carrying out Trump\u2019s pledge of mass deportations; if confirmed, Schroyer would lead that task as the administration tries to deliver unprecedented results. He\u2019d be charged with increasing immigration arrests and ramping up detention space, even as the administration had to sell or find ways to repurpose some warehouses that received bipartisan pushback.\n <\/p>\n

\n All three ICE directors in the second Trump administration have served in an acting capacity. One of Mullin\u2019s first tasks after assuming the role of secretary in March was selecting a leader for the agency after then-Acting Director Todd Lyons announced his departure.\n <\/p>\n

\n Mullin originally proposed a different candidate, Tulsa County Sheriff Vic Regalado, which caused friction with some White House officials,<\/s> who did not think he was the correct fit, the sources said. (Regalado said publicly he took himself out of consideration.)\n <\/p>\n

\n When it became clear that Mullin\u2019s first choice was not going to get White House support, Mullin turned to Schroyer, whom he called a \u201cgood friend of mine\u201d at a National Sheriffs\u2019 Association event this year. Schroyer currently serves as a senior adviser to Mullin and was part of Mullin\u2019s security detail in the Senate.\n <\/p>\n

\n But there were internal disagreements over whether he was the right fit, particularly when the administration is under pressure to show results from the president\u2019s immigration crackdown, the sources said.\n <\/p>\n

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\nPresident Donald Trump announced Saturday that he will nominate Lance Schroyer, a former Oklahoma state trooper and Marine, to be the next director of Immigration and Customs Enforcement.<\/span>\n<\/div>\n
Department of Homeland Security<\/figcaption>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

\n \u201c[Schroyer] is Markwayne\u2019s person\u2014 but he was ultimately appointed by the president,\u201d one source said, noting that Trump has interviewed Schroyer and liked him.\n <\/p>\n

\n Longtime immigration official David Venturella is expected to stay as acting ICE director until Schroyer is confirmed, according to a DHS official.\n <\/p>\n

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\nThe US Supreme Court in Washington, DC, on Thursday, June 25.<\/span>\n<\/div>\n
Graeme Sloan\/Bloomberg\/Getty Images<\/figcaption>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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\nSupreme Court gives Trump major wins on two immigration cases<\/span>\n<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/section>\n<\/div>\n

\n ICE hasn\u2019t had a Senate-confirmed leader since the Obama administration, and lawmakers could take issue with Schroyer\u2019s relative lack of experience if or when his nomination is considered. The agency\u2019s aggressive tactics, which have drawn criticism from Democrats and some Republicans, would also be the subject of debate at a confirmation hearing.\n <\/p>\n

\n Mullin consulted with Stephen Miller, who is considered the chief architect of Trump\u2019s immigration policy, throughout the candidate selection process, a White House official told CNN, adding that Miller was supportive of the president\u2019s decision to appoint Schroyer.\n <\/p>\n

\n White House border czar Tom Homan, a close Trump ally and veteran ICE official, has generally pushed for people with immigration enforcement experience to serve as ICE director. But sources said the relationship between Homan and Mullin is solid.\n <\/p>\n

\n In a statement Saturday, Mullin touted Schroyer\u2019s decades-long career in law enforcement and collaboration with ICE, saying: \u201cPresident Trump made a great pick, and I\u2019m confident Lance\u2019s 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.\u201d\n <\/p>

Read more How the Supreme Court became a power that is reshaping America<\/a><\/p>\n

\n White House spokeswoman Abigail Jackson said in a statement: \u201cThe President\u2019s entire law and order team is working closely together to execute on the President\u2019s agenda to deport illegal aliens and keep our border secure. Ultimately, the President is the one who makes these decisions and his team moves forward to act on them.\u201d\n <\/p>\n

\n Schroyer\u2019s selection is the latest example of Mullin making his mark on the department, but disagreements behind the scenes also reveal what some sources described as \u201cgrowing pains.\u201d\n <\/p>\n

\n \u201cIt is really hard to be an elected official and then become staff. They\u2019ve been master of their own universe, and now they\u2019re not,\u201d one senior White House official said to CNN, adding that at the end of the day everyone in the administration works for Trump, not themselves.\n <\/p>\n

\n \u201cThey think they\u2019re going to be the guy brokering all the deals and it takes several months to get into a groove, but it\u2019s really rocky. And Markwayne has had some of that, but it hasn\u2019t been as rocky as others,\u201d the senior White House official added.\n <\/p>\n

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\nSenator Markwayne Mullin departs after a Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee confirmation hearing at Capitol Hil on March 18.<\/span>\n<\/div>\n
Evan Vucci\/Reuters<\/figcaption>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

\n Sources said that Mullin has expressed frustration with working under the close watch of the White House.\n <\/p>\n

\n \u201c[Mullin] has had to learn the ropes\u2014including checking everything through the White House from policy to personnel\u2014and it\u2019s been a learning curve,\u201d another official said.\n <\/p>\n

\n At times, one of the sources said, Mullin has bumped up against having to keep Miller in the loop on everything the department is doing. (One White House official pushed back on that.) The sources said that while Miller and Mullin have a \u201cpositive\u201d working relationship, Mullin has occasionally disagreed openly on both immigration messaging and policy.\n <\/p>\n

\n \u201cAll policy has to run through Stephen as an extension of the White House,\u201d one source said, noting again that this is not a familiar dynamic to those coming into the White House from outside positions. As deputy chief of staff for policy, Miller is across policy making decisions throughout the administration, including immigration, a White House official told CNN.\n <\/p>\n

\n Mullin has also sometimes butted heads with Homan on policy implementation because he has less experience in immigration enforcement, one source told CNN.\n <\/p>\n

\n It\u2019s not unusual for secretaries to select agency leadership familiar to them. Former DHS Secretary Kristi Noem brought on Madison Sheahan, who previously worked as her political director, to serve as ICE deputy director.\n <\/p>\n

\n Mullin has repeatedly made clear that he prefers a more \u201cquiet\u201d approach,<\/s> compared to former Noem\u2019s flashiness. But the goal remains the same: driving up the number of arrests of undocumented immigrants.\n <\/p>

Read more US Sen. Dan Sullivan\u2019s same-name challenger can be on primary ballot, Alaska Supreme Court rules<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin won an internal debate when President Donald Trump announced he was nominating Lance Schroyer to lead ICE.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":4385,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4390","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-politics"],"yoast_head":"\nHow Trump chose a former Oklahoma state trooper to lead ICE \u2014 and handed Markwayne Mullin a win - Relocation Times<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/relocationtimess.com\/?p=4390\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"How Trump chose a former Oklahoma state trooper to lead ICE \u2014 and handed Markwayne Mullin a win - 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