President Donald Trump has tapped veteran Oklahoma law enforcement officer Lance Schroyer to become the next director of US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), placing a relatively low-profile career officer at the centre of one of America's most politically divisive agencies. The nomination comes as the Trump administration pushes ahead with its expanded immigration enforcement agenda, making the choice of ICE's next leader one of the administration's most significant immigration appointments.
Announced on 27 June, Schroyer's nomination immediately drew attention because of his nearly three decades in law enforcement, his military background and his extensive work with immigration enforcement partnerships in Oklahoma. If confirmed by the US Senate, he would inherit leadership of an agency that has become the public face of Trump's mass deportation campaign while also facing intense scrutiny from immigration advocates and civil liberties groups over its tactics.
