When current acting Director Immigration and Customs Enforcement Director Todd Lyons departs his post at the end of the month, a former career ICE agent is set to take his place, according to the Department of Homeland Security.
“Dave Venturella will serve as Acting ICE Director following Todd Lyons departure,” according to a DHS spokesperson.
Venturella Is a close ally of border czar Tom Homan, and previously worked at a private prison group.
FILE – A federal agent wears a badge of Immigration and Customs Enforcement while standing outside an immigration courtroom at the Jacob K. Javits Federal Building in New York, June 10, 2025.
Yuki Iwamura/AP
According to a law enforcement source, the choice is in line with DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin’s approach to have a low-key pick run the agency — which boasts the largest law enforcement budget in the country.
Last month, DHS announced Lyons’ upcoming departure.
Lyons said he was leaving his role to spend more time with his family, according to his resignation letter reviewed by ABC News.
“My sons are both reaching a pivotal point in their lives and my wife and I wish to spend as much time as possible with them,” the letter reads. “This was not an easy decision, but I believe it is the right one for me and my family at this time. I am confident that ICE will continue to fulfill its vital responsibilities with integrity and professionalism.”
It is unclear if Venturella will be nominated for the post full time or serve in an acting capacity.
ICE has not had a Senate confirmed director since 2017.
As acting director during the first year of the second Trump administration, Lyons oversaw the largest expansion of ICE in U.S. history with funding through the massive tax and policy bill Trump championed last year, known as the “One Big Beautiful Bill.”
During Lyons’ tenure, the Trump administration sent ICE officers into cities across the U.S., including Chicago, Los Angeles and Minneapolis, as part of stepped-up federal immigration enforcement efforts that aimed to fulfill one of Trump’s key campaign pledges.
