Trump withdraws nominee for ICE director from Senate consideration

President Donald Trump withdrew the nomination of Lance Schroyer to lead U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, changing course less than three months after tapping the former Oklahoma state trooper for a high-profile position heading an agency under intense scrutiny amid a sweeping mass deportation push.

The Trump administration announced that Schroyer’s nomination had been withdrawn in a short statement on Sept. 17 that did not explain the decision, and the White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Trump praised Schroyer in a June 27 social media post announcing his nomination.

"Lance Schroyer has what it takes to DETAIN AND DEPORT Illegal Alien Criminals, including murders, rapists, and drug traffickers at a rate never seen before!" Trump said in nominating Schroyer.

Trump's aggressive immigration agenda has put ICE in the spotlight, with the agency's tactics sparking intense criticism. Protests erupted after two people were shot and killed by immigration agents during enforcement actions in Minneapolis earlier this year.

Trump fired former Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem on March 5 amid the uproar and appointed former Oklahoma U.S. Sen. Markwayne Mullin to take her place. ICE hasn't had a Senate-confirmed director since 2017. The agency is run by David Venturella, who took over as acting director after his predecessor, Todd Lyons, resigned in May.

Schroyer has 29 years of law enforcement experience and has been serving as a special adviser to Mullin after previously working on his security detail in the Senate. His nomination reportedly had stalled after Sen. Rand Paul, R-Kentucky, requested more information about the DHS investigation into the shootings in Minneapolis.

This story has been updated to add new information.