White House Withdraws ICE Director Nominee

The White House pulled its nominee to lead Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) on Thursday, according to multiple reports.

Oklahoma state trooper Lance Schroyer’s nomination for ICE director stalled after Republicans blocked his confirmation hearing, Politico reported.

Schroyer previously led the security detail for Markwayne Mullin, now Homeland Security Secretary, when Mullin was a U.S. senator. Mullin later tapped Schroyer to serve as a senior adviser at the Department of Homeland Security (DHS).

It is unclear why exactly the White House withdrew Schroyer’s nomination. Some reports indicate that officials within DHS were concerned that Schroyer lacked adequate experience enforcing immigration law and working in the federal government.

Senate Homeland Security Committee Chairman Rand Paul (R-KY) held up Schroyer’s confirmation hearing over requests for information about the shootings of Renée Good and Alex Pretti by immigration officers in Minneapolis earlier this year, the Wall Street Journal reported last month.

President Donald Trump’s border czar, Tom Homan, also reportedly opposed Schroyer’s nomination, the outlet reported.

Schroyer led the Oklahoma Highway Patrol’s partnership with ICE, which trained its force in immigration law to make arrests alongside federal immigration agents, according to The Washington Post.

The former trooper was deputized to make arrests for ICE last year after completing a 40-hour online training program, the outlet reported.

When Trump nominated Schroyer for the ICE director role, Mullin expressed confidence in “Lance’s strong leadership and firsthand experience” that he said “will empower the men and women of ICE to deport criminal illegal aliens, secure the homeland, and protect the American people.”

ICE hasn’t had a confirmed director in over a decade, and Mullin recognized that in his earlier statement, urging the Senate to act quickly to confirm Schroyer.