- White House withdrew Lance Schroyer’s nomination after Rand Paul blocked a confirmation hearing.
- Paul sought DHS records tied to agent-involved shootings in Minnesota, including the Minneapolis case.
- ICE still lacks a Senate-confirmed director, a vacancy that has continued since twenty seventeen.
Sen. Rand Paul’s demand for information from the Department of Homeland Security kept ICE director nominee Lance Schroyer from reaching a confirmation hearing before the White House withdrew his nomination Thursday, September 17, 2026.
The decision ended Schroyer’s stalled bid to lead the agency. ICE remains under acting leadership after the Senate failed to move the nomination through the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee.
Free toolUSCIS Receipt Number Decoder
Paul, a Kentucky Republican who chairs the panel, withheld a hearing while seeking additional information from DHS. The dispute placed the department’s handling of agent-involved shootings at the center of the nomination fight.
The request focused on an investigation involving two ICE and Border Patrol agents accused of killing two U.S. citizens in the Minneapolis shootings in January. A broader description of Paul’s demand referred to investigations into agent-involved shootings in Minnesota, rather than only that specific case.
Schroyer never appeared before the committee. The White House pulled the nomination instead.
Schroyer moved from Oklahoma policing to a DHS advisory post
Schroyer was an Oklahoma state trooper before becoming a senior adviser to Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin. The White House nominated him in June 2026.
He was Trump’s nominee to run ICE. The nomination fight also reflected tension between Paul and Mullin, who were described as political rivals in accounts of the dispute.
Paul’s request connected the nomination to questions about the department’s investigations. It did not produce a committee hearing before the withdrawal.
The investigation at issue involved allegations against two federal agents and the deaths of two U.S. citizens in Minneapolis. The wider reference to Minnesota shootings covered a broader set of agent-involved incidents.
ICE has gone years without a Senate-confirmed director
ICE has not had a Senate-confirmed director since 2017. Neither President Donald Trump nor President Joe Biden saw an ICE nominee confirmed during their administrations.
David Venturella was performing the director’s duties in an acting capacity when the White House withdrew Schroyer’s nomination. That leaves the agency without the confirmed leadership post the nominee had been selected to fill.
The vacancy has persisted through multiple presidential administrations. Schroyer’s nomination did not reach the stage of a committee hearing, where senators could have publicly questioned him before any later Senate action.
ICE’s director confirmations have been blocked for years. The withdrawal therefore removed one nomination without resolving the agency’s broader confirmation gap.
Lyons’ April departure preceded Venturella’s acting role
Todd Lyons, the prior top ICE official, announced his departure in April. Venturella then served as the senior official performing the director’s duties.
That sequence preceded the White House’s decision to withdraw Schroyer’s nomination. The agency’s acting arrangement was already in place as the Senate dispute continued.
The nomination ended on Thursday, September 17, 2026, without a committee hearing. Paul’s request for DHS information had kept the process from advancing to that step.
This article provides general information and is not legal advice. Consult a qualified immigration attorney about your specific case.
