Trump Administration Confirms David Venturella As Acting ICE Director Starting June 1
The Trump administration will install David Venturella as acting director of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, effective June 1, 2026, the Department of Homeland Security confirmed.[1]
He will take over after Acting Director Todd Lyons leaves, the department told NPR.[1] DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin said Venturella will serve as acting director at the end of May while the department searches for a permanent, Senate-confirmed leader, and that Venturella is intended to remain as a long-term deputy afterward.[2]
David Venturella worked as a GEO Group executive from 2012 to 2023 and as a paid consultant through January 31, 2025, roles Fox News reported "made millions" for him.[3] Fox also reported he recently held a senior role in ICE's unit that manages detention-center contracts.[3] ICE has told outlets that Venturella has divested from GEO and does not participate in detention-contract decisions involving the company.[3] The Christian Science Monitor reported DHS leaders view the move as part of a push for quieter, more targeted enforcement after two fatal DHS shootings in Minneapolis and said the appointment is meant to "bring confidence back to the agency." Christian Science Monitor Under Lyons, ICE has deported more than 570,000 people in the president's second term and is averaging about 1,200 arrests per day, and the agency has added roughly 12,000 employees, NPR reported.[1]
Republicans are seeking to use a budget fast-track process to fund ICE and Customs and Border Protection for the rest of the president's term, potentially bypassing Democratic votes, NPR reported.[1] Fox said Democrats are expected to press Venturella on his GEO background and possible conflicts of interest during that funding fight.[3]
Early coverage emphasized Venturella's private-detention ties and described him as aligned with a mass-deportation agenda.[3] Later reporting from outlets including the Christian Science Monitor and CBS stressed that DHS leaders want to step back from headline-grabbing enforcement and frame the appointment as a move to steady the agency.[4]
Show source details & analysis (5 sources)
📌 Key Facts
- A DHS spokesperson confirmed to NPR on Tuesday, May 12, 2026 that David Venturella is expected to be the next acting ICE director and is slated to assume the role effective June 1, 2026 after current Acting Director Todd Lyons departs (David Venturella).
- In a CBS News interview published Wednesday, May 13, 2026, DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin said Venturella will serve as acting ICE director at the end of May while DHS searches for a permanent director and indicated Venturella is intended to remain as a long‑term deputy once a Senate‑confirmed leader is in place (Markwayne Mullin).
- Fox reported on Tuesday, May 12, 2026 that Venturella worked as a GEO Group executive from 2012 to 2023 and as a paid consultant through January 31, 2025 — roles the article says he 'made millions' in (GEO Group).
- Sources told Fox that Venturella recently held a senior role in ICE's division that manages detention‑center contracts, while ICE has said he has divested from GEO, has no remaining financial ties, and does not participate in reviewing or approving detention contracts involving GEO (detention‑center contracts).
- The Christian Science Monitor reported on Wednesday, May 13, 2026 that DHS will elevate enforcement insider David Venturella to acting ICE director 'next month' as leadership seeks to retreat from headline‑grabbing enforcement after two Minneapolis shootings and to 'bring confidence back to the agency' (David Venturella).
- NPR reported that under Todd Lyons, ICE has deported more than 570,000 people so far in Trump’s second term, is making about 1,200 arrests per day, and has hired roughly 12,000 new employees (Todd Lyons).
- Reporting across outlets places Venturella’s elevation against a budget and policy backdrop: outlets say Republicans are pushing to use budget reconciliation to fund ICE and CBP (reports cite roughly $70 billion being advanced and about $75 billion previously funded), and Democrats are expected to question Venturella’s GEO background and potential conflicts during that funding fight (budget reconciliation).
- DHS Secretary Mullin told CBS that ICE will have a security role at the 2026 FIFA World Cup focused on counterfeit goods, tickets and serious criminal targets and that 'we're not there to go round up' people (2026 FIFA World Cup).
📰 Source Timeline (5)
Follow how coverage of this story developed over time
- In a CBS News interview aired and published Wednesday, May 13, 2026, DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin said ICE will have a security role at the 2026 FIFA World Cup but "we're not there to go round up" people, emphasizing focus on counterfeit goods, tickets and serious criminal targets.
- Mullin stated that while ICE "always does immigration enforcement," its World Cup mission will not be to conduct mass immigration roundups but to look for high‑priority targets such as individuals on terrorist watch lists or wanted for major crimes.
- Mullin confirmed that David Venturella will serve as acting ICE director at the end of May while DHS searches for a permanent director and said Venturella is intended to be a long‑term deputy once a Senate‑confirmed leader is in place.
- Mullin referenced the recent DHS shutdown that ended in late April 2026, describing it as the longest in the department's history and saying the lapse in funding left DHS without the ability "to be proactive" on some missions.
- He noted that Congress funded most of DHS through September but left ICE and Border Patrol on a separate track, with Republicans seeking to fund those two components through fiscal year 2029 without Democratic votes.
- The Christian Science Monitor reports on May 13, 2026, that DHS will elevate immigration insider David Venturella to acting ICE director "next month," confirming the move and framing it as a response to months of public blowback over chaotic raids.
- DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin has publicly said he wants ICE to retreat from headlines after aggressive arrests and fatal shootings of two U.S. citizens by DHS personnel in Minneapolis, indicating a desire for quieter, more targeted enforcement.
- The article notes that after those Minneapolis shootings, the administration scaled back high-profile immigration enforcement surges, and Mullin’s confirmation hearing in March included his statement: "I want to bring confidence back to the agency."
- The piece emphasizes Venturella’s long history inside immigration enforcement, including his INS-era comments in 1999 lamenting court limits on detention and his leadership of the Secure Communities program under President Obama.
- The report highlights that immigrant advocates call ICE practices unconstitutional while MAGA-aligned hard-liners continue to push for at least 1 million deportations per year, providing context for pressures Venturella will face.
- A DHS spokesperson confirmed to NPR on Tuesday, May 12, 2026, that David Venturella is expected to be the next acting ICE director.
- The article specifies that Venturella will assume the acting ICE director role effective June 1, 2026, following the resignation of current acting director Todd Lyons.
- NPR reports that new DHS leadership, including Secretary Markwayne Mullin, wants to move away from headline-grabbing big-city enforcement surges while continuing to build detention and deportation capacity.
- The piece reiterates that under Todd Lyons, ICE has deported more than 570,000 people so far in Trump’s second term, is making about 1,200 arrests per day, and has hired 12,000 new employees.
- NPR notes that ICE is preparing to rapidly spend what remains of the roughly $75 billion Republicans funded last summer, about half of which is earmarked for expanding detention space, while the agency still lacks regular appropriations.
- The article updates that Republicans are now looking to use budget reconciliation to fund all of DHS, including ICE, for the rest of Trump’s term without needing Democratic votes.
- On May 12, 2026, Fox News reported via multiple unnamed administration sources that David Venturella is expected to be named acting ICE director when current Acting Director Todd Lyons leaves next week.
- The article details that Venturella worked as a GEO Group executive from 2012 to 2023 and as a paid consultant for the company through January 31, 2025, and that he "made millions" in those roles.
- Sources say Venturella has recently held a senior role in the ICE division that manages detention-center contracts but, according to ICE, has no role in reviewing, approving, or recommending contracts.
- Fox’s sources describe Venturella as "definitely on board with the mission and the mass deportation agenda" but opposed to some past tactics such as roving immigration patrols during former DHS Secretary Kristi Noem’s tenure.
- ICE has stated that Venturella has divested from GEO, has no remaining financial ties to the company, and does not participate in detention-contract decisions involving GEO.
- The report notes that Republicans are advancing a roughly $70 billion reconciliation package to fund ICE and Customs and Border Protection, and that Democrats are expected to question Venturella’s GEO background and potential conflicts of interest during that funding fight.