Acting ICE Director Todd Lyons to Leave May 31 After Protests Over Fatal Urban Raids
Acting ICE Director Todd Lyons will leave the agency on May 31, 2026, after submitting his resignation. Lyons formally delivered a resignation letter to DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin and said he wants to spend more time with his sons. Mullin praised Lyons for reinvigorating ICE and said Lyons would stay to help transition the agency through late May. Major outlets including Fox News, The New York Times, NPR, Axios and The Wall Street Journal independently confirmed his planned exit.
Lyons' tenure coincided with a dramatic uptick in enforcement that supporters hail and critics condemn. Fox credited his leadership with roughly 584,000 deportations since President Trump's second inauguration, while NPR and AP said ICE received major new funding to expand arrests and detention. High-profile urban raids in Chicago and Minneapolis culminated in the January killings of protesters Renee Good and Alex Pretti by federal immigration officers, drawing intense scrutiny. Supplemental data show 32 people died in ICE custody in 2025 and assaults on ICE officers rose 1,347% to 281 in the latest measured year. He also signed a memo reported to give officers sweeping powers to enter homes without a judge's warrant, and a federal judge later ordered him to appear over detainee-rights compliance concerns.
Early reports largely framed the departure as a routine leadership change that emphasized family reasons and agency revival. Coverage shifted as NPR, The New York Times and MS NOW highlighted Lyons' role in aggressive enforcement, legal questions about his authority, the fatal protest incidents, and falling public approval reported in polls. On social media critics like Lawfare's reporter criticized the secret memo and questioned the legality of his appointment, while conservative voices and some officials praised Lyons for defending officers and standing with "angel families." DHS statements and allies continue to present Lyons as an effective leader, making his exit a contested turning point in federal immigration enforcement.
📊 Relevant Data
From January 21, 2025 to January 7, 2026, there was a 1,347% increase in assaults against ICE law enforcement officers, with 281 assaults reported compared to 19 in the previous equivalent period.
Radical Rhetoric by Sanctuary Politicians Leads to an Unprecedented 1,300% Increase in Assaults Against ICE Officers — Department of Homeland Security
In 2025, 32 people died while in ICE custody.
ICE expansion has outpaced accountability. What are the remedies? — Brookings Institution
📌 Key Facts
- Acting ICE Director Todd Lyons has formally submitted his resignation to DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin and will leave the agency effective May 31, 2026; he will remain through that date to assist with the transition, a departure confirmed by multiple national outlets.
- Lyons says he is leaving to spend more time with his family (citing his sons 'reaching a pivotal point' in their lives); DHS officials say he is headed to the private sector, while Secretary Mullin and White House aides (including Tom Homan and Stephen Miller) publicly praised his service.
- Lyons is a long-time ICE official (about 20 years with ICE, with earlier service in Air Force special forces) and is credited with overseeing a sharp expansion of enforcement, including roughly 584,000 deportations since President Trump's second inauguration and a major congressional cash infusion for hiring and detention.
- Under Lyons ICE significantly ramped up arrests and aggressive urban operations — including high-profile actions in Chicago and Minneapolis — that culminated in January when two protesters, Renee Good and Alex Pretti, were shot and killed by federal immigration officers; Lyons was subsequently questioned by Congress and declined to apologize for officials' characterization of Good.
- Lyons signed a memo (first reported by AP) granting officers broad authority to forcibly enter homes and make arrests without a judge’s warrant, drawing legal and civil‑rights scrutiny; a federal judge ordered Lyons to appear over concerns ICE failed to comply with detainee‑rights directives.
- Lyons testified before a House Appropriations subcommittee about ICE’s budget, enforcement priorities, and compliance with court orders the same day his resignation was reported.
- Public sentiment under Lyons’ tenure was unfavorable: an AP‑NORC poll cited by NPR found most U.S. adults, including independents, held an unfavorable view of ICE during this period.
📰 Source Timeline (7)
Follow how coverage of this story developed over time
- Wall Street Journal confirms that Todd Lyons, the acting chief of ICE, is set to depart the agency, reinforcing earlier reporting on his planned exit.
- WSJ characterization centers on a leadership transition at ICE, adding another major national outlet to confirm Lyons' departure timeline and status.
- NPR/AP confirm DHS announcement that Lyons will resign effective May 31 and quotes Secretary Markwayne Mullin praising him and saying he is heading to the private sector.
- Article explicitly frames Lyons as a key executor of President Trump’s mass deportations agenda and notes ICE received a massive cash infusion from Congress for expanded hiring and detention under his leadership.
- Reports that ICE ramped up arrests to meet administration demand and was central to high-profile operations in Chicago and Minneapolis that ended after two American protesters, Renee Good and Alex Pretti, were shot and killed by federal immigration officers.
- NPR cites a February AP-NORC poll finding most U.S. adults, including independents, hold an unfavorable view of ICE during Lyons’ tenure.
- Lyons faced congressional questioning about the deaths of Good and Pretti and refused to apologize for officials’ characterization of Good as an agitator, citing active investigations.
- Confirms Lyons signed a memo, first obtained by AP, granting officers sweeping powers to forcibly enter homes and make arrests without a judge’s warrant.
- Notes Lyons’ career path at ICE since 2007 and that his exit comes after Trump fired former DHS Secretary Kristi Noem and installed Markwayne Mullin, who is striking a "softer tone" while still backing Trump’s agenda.
- MS NOW attribution that DHS has confirmed Lyons will remain in his post until May 31, phrased as 'later this spring.'
- Explicit description that Lyons’ tenure 'has coincided with a sharp increase in enforcement tactics,' including the January killings of Renee Good and Alex Pretti by ICE officers in Minnesota.
- New detail that Lyons was ordered by a federal judge to appear over concerns ICE failed to comply with detainee-rights directives.
- Reporting that earlier the same day he testified before a House Appropriations subcommittee and was questioned about ICE’s budget, enforcement priorities, and compliance with court orders.
- Fresh on-the-record praise from White House border czar Tom Homan and White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller, including characterizations of Lyons as a 'phenomenal patriot' and 'highly respected and effective.'
- Confirms via New York Times that Acting ICE Director Todd Lyons told reporters he plans to resign in May, aligning with his formal resignation letter staying through May 31.
- Adds national, mainstream confirmation of Lyons’ departure beyond earlier Fox-focused reporting and DHS statements.
- May include additional detail on internal reaction or political framing of his exit from within the administration and career staff (not visible in the scraped text but typical of NYT coverage).
- Axios provides an additional independent confirmation that Todd Lyons, acting ICE director, is leaving the agency.
- The Axios piece reinforces that his departure is a formal, imminent leadership change at ICE; however, based on the visible text, it does not add substantive facts beyond what is already reported (reasons for leaving, end date, Mullin’s reaction, deportation figures).
- Lyons has formally submitted his resignation letter to DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin.
- He states he is leaving to spend more time with his family, specifically mentioning his sons ‘reaching a pivotal point in their lives.’
- His last day at ICE is set for May 31, 2026, and he will assist with the transition until then.
- Mullin issued a statement crediting Lyons with having ‘jumpstarted an agency that had not been allowed to do its job for four years’ and making ‘American communities safer.’
- Fox reports Lyons has overseen roughly 584,000 deportations since Trump’s second inauguration and notes his prior 20‑year ICE career and earlier service in Air Force special forces.