Todd Lyons Submits ICE Resignation to DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin, Leaving May 31

Acting U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Director Todd Lyons submitted his resignation to newly-appointed Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Markwayne Mullin on Thursday, and Mullin set Lyons’ last day for May 31.

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Axios

The National Desk reported that Mullin wrote on X that "Director Lyons has been a great leader of ICE and key player in helping the Trump administration remove murderers, rapists, pedophiles, terrorists, and gang members from American communities," adding that "He jumpstarted an agency that had not been allowed to do its job for four years."

Boston Herald

NPR likewise said Mullin announced Lyons’ departure and that Lyons’ last day will be May 31, while NPR described Lyons as a key executor of President Donald Trump’s mass deportations agenda.

CNN reported that Mullin announced Lyons was stepping down later this spring and that Lyons’ last day at ICE will be May 31, with Mullin calling him a "great leader of ICE and key player in helping the Trump administration remove murderers, rapists, pedophiles, terrorists, and gang members from American communities."

Axios similarly said Mullin confirmed Lyons submitted his resignation on Thursday and that Lyons will remain until May 31 to help with the transition process.

The Boston Herald added that Lyons told the Herald he submitted his resignation to Mullin on Thursday and planned to remain as head of the agency tasked with carrying out federal immigration enforcement until May 31 to help the new leadership transition into the job.

Multiple outlets tied Lyons’ resignation to the turbulence of his tenure and the political and legal scrutiny surrounding ICE under President Donald Trump.

NPR said Lyons led the agency at the center of Trump’s plans to reshape immigration to the U.S., and it described how ICE was granted a massive infusion of cash through Congress to expand hiring and detention capabilities and ramp up arrests to meet demand from the administration.

CNN

NPR also said ICE was central to high-profile immigration enforcement operations in American cities, including Chicago and Minneapolis, and that the deployment ended after backlash erupted over the deaths of two American protesters at the hands of federal immigration officers.

Politico reported that Mullin’s year-long tenure was punctuated by clashes between ICE agents and protesters in several cities, including in Minneapolis where immigration officials killed two unarmed U.S. citizens during enforcement operations, and it said outrage over their deaths prompted the administration to dial back operations.

The Guardian added that Lyons’ departure comes as ICE faces escalating backlash over its violent and aggressive tactics across the country, including the recent shooting of a California man during a traffic stop, which Lyons defended.

The Guardian also described how, when Lyons testified before Congress after the shootings, he declined to apologize to Good’s and Pretti’s families or say whether he agreed with the Trump administration’s claims that the U.S. citizens shot by officers were “domestic terrorists.”

Supporters and senior administration figures praised Lyons’ leadership as his resignation was announced, while lawmakers and critics continued to press concerns about ICE’s conduct.

“Acting Immigration and Customs Enforcement Director Todd Lyons is stepping down from his role later this spring, Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin announced Thursday”

CNN

Mullin’s statement, quoted across outlets, said, "Director Lyons has been a great leader of ICE and key player in helping the Trump administration remove murderers, rapists, pedophiles, terrorists, and gang members from American communities," and it added, "He jumpstarted an agency that had not been allowed to do its job for four years."

White House spokesperson Abigail Jackson described Lyons as "an American patriot who made our country safer," and NPR reported that Stephen Miller, the president's deputy chief of staff and the main architect of his immigration policy, called Lyons a "dedicated leader" who had "saved countless thousands of American lives."

Tom Homan, the president’s border czar, praised Lyons as well, with the Boston Herald quoting Homan saying Lyons "served selflessly" and was "a highly respected and effective acting Director of ICE."

At the same time, the Guardian described Lyons’ refusal to apologize to the families of Renee Good and Alex Pretti and said he declined to say whether he agreed with the Trump administration’s widely criticized claims that the U.S. citizens shot by officers were “domestic terrorists.”

NPR also reported that Lyons faced questions in Congress over the shooting deaths of Renee Good and Alex Pretti and that he declined to apologize for the way some Trump administration officials characterized Good as an agitator.

While all outlets reported Lyons’ resignation and a May 31 end date, they diverged in emphasis—particularly around the reasons for his departure and the controversies surrounding his tenure.

The National Desk framed the announcement around Mullin’s praise and quoted Mullin’s claim that Lyons helped remove "murderers, rapists, pedophiles, terrorists, and gang members," while it also said Fox News reported Lyons decided to step aside because he wants to spend more time with his family, including his sons, who are "reaching a pivotal point in their lives."

NPR

NPR, by contrast, emphasized Lyons as a key executor of Trump’s mass deportations agenda and noted that the Department of Homeland Security did not immediately respond to an email from The Associated Press asking why he is resigning.

CNN similarly said Mullin didn’t provide a reason for the departure, while Politico described Lyons’ exit as a career federal law enforcement official leaving government service and said POLITICO reported on his health struggles, including that he had been hospitalized at least twice for stress-related issues during his year-long tenure.

USA Today added a different timing detail, saying Lyons’ resignation came within hours of a hearing on Capitol Hill where he told lawmakers that at least 44 people have died in ICE custody since he began his acting tenure in March 2025.

The Guardian, meanwhile, stressed legal and political pressure, describing a Minnesota judge summoning Lyons to appear in court and warning of possible contempt of court for defying orders, and it said Lyons ultimately did not have to testify.

The resignation sets up a leadership transition for an ICE agency described as flush with cash and still at the center of political and legal battles.

“ICE acting director Todd Lyons will resign at end of May, DHS says WASHINGTON — U”

NPR

NPR said it’s not clear who might replace Lyons, but it added that whoever does will take over an agency “flush with cash while still a flashpoint for controversy,” and it described ICE as at the center of a battle in Congress, with Democratic lawmakers demanding restraints on immigration officers before agreeing to restore routine funding for DHS.

The Guardian

NPR also said Lyons, along with two other top immigration officials, appeared before a House subcommittee to argue for his agency's budget and faced continued scrutiny from lawmakers of ICE's actions.

The Guardian reported that Mullin’s statement did not include details about who will succeed Lyons, and it said DHS and the White House did not immediately respond to inquiries.

The Guardian also described how Lyons oversaw the enormous expansion of ICE, which said in January it had hired roughly 12,000 officers and agents in less than a year, and it said Lyons defended his officers’ rights to wear masks despite widespread concerns about public safety risks posed by agents being unidentifiable.

In the immediate run-up to his departure, NPR reported that Lyons testified before a House Appropriations subcommittee and faced questions about the shooting deaths of Renee Good and Alex Pretti, while NPR also said Lyons signed off on a memo that granted federal immigration officers sweeping powers to forcibly enter homes and make arrests without a judge's warrant.