# Trump Nominates Oklahoma Trooper to Lead ICE Agency  
**Published:** 2026-06-29T21:56:12.000Z  
**Source:** [Nebraska Examiner](https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2026/06/29/repub/former-oklahoma-trooper-nominated-by-trump-to-head-up-ice/)  
**AI-generated:** yes (claude-haiku-4-5-20251001)  
**Canonical:** https://lincolne.news/article/trump-nominates-oklahoma-trooper-to-lead-ice-agency

President Donald Trump has nominated [Richard "Lance" Schroyer, a former Oklahoma state trooper, to lead U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement](https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2026/06/29/repub/former-oklahoma-trooper-nominated-by-trump-to-head-up-ice/), the federal agency tasked with executing the administration's mass deportation campaign. The June 27 nomination comes as immigration enforcement has intensified nationwide, with [Nebraska seeing a 329 percent year-over-year increase in ICE arrests from 2024 to 2025](https://nebraskapublicmedia.org/en/news/news-articles/theres-fear-ice-arrests-surge-in-nebraska-with-329-increase-in-2025/).

If confirmed by the Senate, Schroyer would be the first Senate-confirmed ICE director in 11 years. He would replace David Venturella, the current acting director and a former executive of private prison operator GEO. The timing of Schroyer's nomination follows a Supreme Court decision allowing the Trump administration to strip legal protections from 350,000 Haitians and 6,000 Syrians, opening them to deportation.

Schroyer brings nearly 30 years of law enforcement experience from Oklahoma, where he served as a state trooper and marine. He currently advises Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin, a fellow Oklahoman. Trump emphasized on social media that Schroyer "has what it takes to DETAIN AND DEPORT Illegal Alien Criminals" and called him a "PATRIOT with real operational experience."

Schroyer's primary immigration work involved establishing and overseeing Oklahoma's 287(g) program, a federal partnership that deputizes state and local law enforcement to assist with immigration enforcement. Mullin praised the appointment, stating Schroyer "will play a vital role in helping deliver on the President's mandate from the American people to target, arrest, and deport illegal aliens." Oklahoma Governor Kevin Stitt also endorsed the nomination, noting Schroyer's service at the Oklahoma Highway Patrol.

The nomination arrives as ICE receives unprecedented funding. Congress [recently allocated $70 billion](https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2026/06/29/repub/former-oklahoma-trooper-nominated-by-trump-to-head-up-ice/) to ICE through fiscal year 2029, separate from additional billions in Trump's signature 2025 spending bill. [Nebraska has partnered with federal immigration authorities, converting a state prison in McCook into an immigration detention facility](https://www.cbsnews.com/news/nebraska-immigrant-detention-center-plan/) to support the agency's expanded enforcement operations.

Former acting director Todd Lyons stepped down in May following fatal shootings of two U.S. citizens by immigration agents in Minneapolis earlier this year. Schroyer's nomination follows months of controversy surrounding ICE's aggressive tactics, though he is expected to face a confirmation hearing before the Senate can approve his appointment.

## Sources

- [Nebraska Examiner](https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2026/06/29/repub/former-oklahoma-trooper-nominated-by-trump-to-head-up-ice/)
- [Nebraska Public Media - ICE arrest surge data in Nebraska](https://nebraskapublicmedia.org/en/news/news-articles/theres-fear-ice-arrests-surge-in-nebraska-with-329-increase-in-2025/)
- [CBS News - Nebraska ICE detention center details](https://www.cbsnews.com/news/nebraska-immigrant-detention-center-plan/)

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This article was generated by AI (claude-haiku-4-5-20251001) based on source material from Nebraska Examiner, enriched with 3 web searches. The original source is available at https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2026/06/29/repub/former-oklahoma-trooper-nominated-by-trump-to-head-up-ice/.