WASHINGTON, June 27 (Reuters) – U.S. President Donald Trump said on Saturday that he will nominate Lance Schroyer as the next director of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
“Lance has over 29 YEARS of Law Enforcement experience in Oklahoma,” Trump posted on social media. “The Senate must CONFIRM Lance, IMMEDIATELY — Do not delay.”
ICE has operated for years with directors serving in an “acting” capacity. The agency has been without a Senate-confirmed director since early 2017.
Trump has made cracking down on immigration a top priority since taking office last year, but rights groups say the government’s actions violate civil liberties and create an unsafe environment for ethnic minorities in particular.
ICE has been at the heart of Trump’s crackdown with its immigration detentions and attempted deportations. ICE agents’ fatal shooting of two U.S. citizens in Minnesota, Alex Pretti and Renee Good, in January sparked nationwide protests.
Trump has justified the crackdown by saying it aims to cut illegal immigration and improve domestic security.
(Reporting by Jasper Ward in Washington, additional reporting by Laila Kearney in New York, editing by Michelle Nichols and Chizu Nomiyama)
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