Acting U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Director Todd Lyons announced in April that he is stepping down from the post effective May 31 because he wants to spend more time with his family. That leaves a pretty big hole to fill, as the Trump administration has prioritized putting an end to illegal immigration and getting criminal illegals out of the country.
The president has found his man, and it’s David Venturella, an ICE senior advisor who was recruited to the agency by Border Czar Tom Homan and who has a background in private prison firms. That resume is certain to drive the Democrats crazy, as they tend to view prisons as the ultimate sign of evil.
He would do things differently from some of his predecessors:
He started his career in 1986 at the former INS (Immigration and Naturalization Service) and as acting director and assistant director of ICE’s Office of Detention and Removal Operations.
Sources said he is well liked within ICE and one source described him as "definitely on board with the mission and the mass deportation agenda," though he does not support certain policies, including roving immigration patrols, that were being used during former Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem’s tenure.
NEW: Dave Venturella is expected to be named the next Acting Director of ICE, replacing Todd Lyons, multiple sources say.
— Fox News (@FoxNews) May 13, 2026
Venturella has been working in the Trump administration as an ICE senior advisor. He was recruited with help from Tom Homan after President Trump was… pic.twitter.com/X9CPVdA29w
NEW: Dave Venturella is expected to be named the next Acting Director of ICE, replacing Todd Lyons, multiple sources say.
Venturella has been working in the Trump administration as an ICE senior advisor. He was recruited with help from Tom Homan after President Trump was elected.
MORE: Acting ICE Director Todd Lyons to Step Down Later This Spring
The Democrats are sure to complain about Venturella’s work in the private prison industry, where he reportedly made millions, and the mainstream media is already hard at work doing its part to undermine him. From Tuesday’s New York Times:
Mr. Venturella, who left during the Obama administration and worked for the private prison company the GEO Group, has allies inside the agency and the administration, including Mr. Miller, Mr. Trump’s deputy chief of staff and omnipresent immigration lead, according to a federal official.
His appointment will likely prompt criticism from those skeptical of the influence of private prison companies on ICE, which relies on them to detain undocumented immigrants.
In March, The New York Times reported that Mr. Venturella called ICE officials in Miami to make sure that officers there picked up the ex-wife of a Trump ally embroiled in a custody battle with the woman.
Over at Politico, meanwhile:
His appointment could raise new conflict of interest questions for Venturella and White House border czar Tom Homan, an ally who also worked at GEO Group, amid allegations of self-dealing during Noem’s tenure at DHS.
Advocates of Trump’s efforts to undo former President Joe Biden’s disastrous “let them all in" immigration policy applauded the pick, however:
🚨 BREAKING: Trump is bringing in ICE LEGEND David Venturella as Acting Director!
— Publius (@OcrazioCornPop) May 12, 2026
40-year deportation warrior.
Ex-Acting Director of Removal Operations.
The guy who helped build the LARGEST detention & deportation machine in U.S. history with 30% capacity surge already… pic.twitter.com/SNnQKPOR0B
🚨 BREAKING: Trump is bringing in ICE LEGEND David Venturella as Acting Director!
40-year deportation warrior.
Ex-Acting Director of Removal Operations.
The guy who helped build the LARGEST detention & deportation machine in U.S. history with 30% capacity surge already underway.
Working hand-in-glove with Tom Homan & Stephen Miller.
Quiet, ruthless efficiency while the media melts down over his GEO Group experience?
Do you think Mass Deportations are BACK ON?!
The Democrats can’t do much but shriek, because the Department of Homeland Security is designating Venturella as “Acting” Director, meaning his appointment does not require Senate confirmation. There is no strict timeline on how long he can operate in that capacity, and in fact, the last time an ICE director was formally confirmed was in 2014 during the Obama administration.
Venturella will take the reins on June 1.
Editor’s Note: Democrat politicians and their radical supporters will do everything they can to interfere with and threaten ICE agents enforcing our immigration laws.
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