Todd Lyons Submits Resignation Letter to Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin

Acting Immigration and Customs Enforcement director Todd Lyons submitted his resignation to Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin on Thursday, with Mullin confirming Lyons would leave ICE at the end of May.

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

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Axios reported that Mullin confirmed Lyons submitted his resignation on Thursday, and that Lyons would remain in the role until May 31 to help with the transition process.

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CNN likewise said Mullin announced Lyons was stepping down later this spring and that Lyons’ last day at ICE would be May 31.

Fox News reported that Lyons submitted his resignation letter to Mullin and that Lyons would stay on through May 31 to assist the transition process, citing Fox’s confirmation.

AP News reported that Mullin announced Lyons’ departure and said Lyons’ last day would be May 31, while also noting the Department of Homeland Security did not immediately respond to an email from The Associated Press asking why he is resigning.

The New York Times reported that Lyons told he would resign at the end of May in a letter to Mullin, and that the letter was reviewed by The New York Times.

In a statement quoted across outlets, Mullin praised Lyons as “a great leader of ICE” and said Lyons “jumpstarted an agency that had not been allowed to do its job for four years.”

Multiple outlets tied Lyons’ exit to his own stated reasons and to the political pressure surrounding ICE.

CNN said that while Mullin didn’t provide a reason for the departure, an internal memo obtained by CNN had Lyons writing that the decision wasn’t “easy,” but was “the right one for me and my family.”

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CNN also quoted Lyons’ memo about his family, including that “My wife and I are looking forward to spending as much time as possible with our sons, who, as many of you know from experience, grow up too fast,” and that “Serving alongside you has been one of the greatest honors of my life.”

Fox News reported that Lyons said in his letter he wants to spend more time with his family, including his sons, who are “reaching a pivotal point in their lives,” and that it’s been a privilege to serve under President Donald Trump.

The New York Times reported that Lyons said in the letter it was “not an easy decision,” and that he believed it was “the right one for me and my family at this time.”

NPR described Lyons’ resignation as coming “amid continued scrutiny of his agency's aggressive immigration tactics” and also amid a “record-long funding lapse from Congress that resulted in a lack of pay for ICE attorneys, investigators and administrative staff.”

Across the coverage, Mullin’s praise framed the departure as a leadership success, with Mullin saying, “Thanks to his leadership, American communities are safer,” and with Stephen Miller calling Lyons “a phenomenal patriot and dedicated leader.”

The reporting places Lyons’ tenure in the context of ICE’s expansion and the scrutiny it faced, including questions about deaths in custody and the agency’s use of force.

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Axios said Lyons defended ICE’s conduct in Congress and the courtroom as the agency faced scrutiny over President Trump’s mass deportation drive, and it said scrutiny focused on the fatal shootings of U.S. citizens Renee Good and Alex Pretti in Minneapolis in January.

CNN described Lyons as tasked with overseeing the Trump administration’s mass deportation plan as acting ICE chief, placing him under immense scrutiny as the agency ramped up arrests last year and on the heels of the shootings of two U.S. citizens in January.

NPR reported that Lyons faced intense pressure to carry out deportation goals that included “3,000 arrests a day,” and it said ICE has not met that number.

NPR also said Lyons oversaw a hiring surge that brought on 12,000 new employees, a record-high number of people in immigration detention, and “over 570,000 deportations.”

USA Today reported that Lyons’ resignation came within hours of a hearing on the record number of detainee deaths in ICE detention centers, and it said Lyons told lawmakers that at least 44 people have died in agency custody since he began his acting tenure in March 2025.

AP News said ICE was central to high-profile 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.

The sources present sharply different voices around Lyons’ leadership, with officials praising his role in deportations while courts and lawmakers raised concerns.

CNN quoted Mullin calling Lyons “a great leader of ICE and key player in helping the Trump administration remove murderers, rapists, pedophiles, terrorists, and gang members from American communities.”

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Axios quoted Mullin again, saying “Director Lyons has been a great leader of ICE,” and it quoted Mullin’s line that “American communities are safer.”

Fox News and AP News both included praise from Tom Homan and Stephen Miller, with Homan saying Lyons “served selflessly” and Miller saying Lyons’ “courageous work at ICE has saved countless thousands of American lives and helped deliver safety and tranquility to millions of Americans.”

The Guardian added legal and political pressure, reporting that in January Minnesota’s top federal judge summoned Lyons to appear before his court and warned the acting ICE head could be held in contempt for defying orders.

The Guardian also said Lyons declined to apologize to Good’s and Pretti’s families and declined to say whether he agreed with the Trump administration’s claims that the US citizens shot by officers were “domestic terrorists.”

NPR described Lyons’ testimony before Congress and said he told Congress the agency conducted 37 investigations into officers' use of force last year, while also noting he didn’t say whether anyone was fired.

The reporting repeatedly emphasizes uncertainty about who will replace Lyons and what direction ICE will take after his departure.

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CNN said it was unclear who would step into the role after Lyons departs, and it noted ICE has been without a Senate-confirmed leader since the Obama administration.

Fox News

The Guardian similarly said 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.

AP News said it’s not clear who might replace Lyons, but it described the political context in Congress, where Democratic lawmakers were demanding restraints on immigration officers before agreeing to restore routine funding for DHS.

NPR said Lyons’ next steps were unknown but that Mullin’s statement said he would be pursuing an opportunity in the private sector, and it also said the ICE director must be confirmed by the Senate.

USA Today reported that Lyons’ last day is May 31, 2026, and it framed the resignation as “the latest department shakeup,” noting that Mullin replaced Kristi Noem after Trump fired her in March.

WBUR described Lyons as stepping down to join the private sector and said Gov. Maura Healey and state lawmakers were working to pass a bill to restrict ICE from making warrantless arrests in courthouses and other public places.