Acting ICE Director Todd Lyons to Resign

Acting director of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Todd Lyons will resign from his position on May 31, 2026, amid ongoing controversies surrounding migrant deaths in agency custody and funding questions.

The announcement came from Department of Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin, who confirmed Lyons’ departure in a statement released on April 16, 2026. Mullin said Lyons’ last day would be May 31 and that he would move to the private sector.

Lyons’ resignation follows a public hearing on Capitol Hill where he testified about the record number of detainee deaths in ICE detention centers. During the hearing, Lyons stated that at least 44 people have died in agency custody since he began his acting tenure in March 2025.

According to the Department of Homeland Security, the number of people who have died in ICE custody during Trump’s second term is the highest in the agency’s history. This comes amid reports that nearly 50 people have died in ICE and Customs and Border Protection custody since 2025, a rate far higher than previous years.

Secretary Mullin praised Lyons’ leadership in his statement, saying Director Lyons has been a great leader of ICE and a key player in helping the Trump administration remove murderers, rapists, pedophiles, terrorists, and gang members from American communities. Mullin added that Lyons jumpstarted an agency that had not been allowed to do its job for four years.

The resignation comes after Mullin replaced former Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, who was fired by President Trump in March 2026. Noem’s ouster followed a congressional hearing where she faced questions about her conduct, including a $220 million advertising campaign that featured her prominently.

Lyons announced his pending departure on the same day he was grilled by Democrats in Congress over the concerning number of deaths at migrant detention centers across the United States. While the two events were not related, they occurred on the same day, highlighting the ongoing scrutiny of the agency.

Data shows that thirty-two individuals were known to have died under ICE or Customs and Border Patrol detention in the previous year, the highest total since 2004. So far in the current year, there have been 16 deaths in ICE detention or custody.

Lyons, questioned by Democratic House Representative Lauren Underwood during a committee hearing, said the current death toll is the highest in decades because ICE currently has the highest number of people in detention it has ever had since its inception in 2003.

The resignation represents the latest department shakeup within the Trump administration’s immigration enforcement agencies, which have faced increasing criticism from the public and lawmakers alike.