Todd Lyons, acting director of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, will leave the agency on May 31 after leading aggressive deportation efforts under President Trump. Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin praised Lyons' leadership but did not name a successor.
Posts tagged as “The U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement”
The Senate advances a plan to fund most of the Department of Homeland Security as President Trump pledges to pay all DHS employees amid a partial government shutdown. Lawmakers face divisions over funding immigration enforcement agencies, with Republicans pursuing a two-track strategy to end the shutdown.
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has rescinded a policy requiring the secretary’s personal review of contracts over $100,000, a change expected to reduce procurement delays that previously hindered agencies like FEMA, CBP, and ICE. Secretary Markwayne Mullin emphasized empowering agency components to make decisions and has also begun reevaluating ICE’s detention facility plans. Meanwhile, amid a partial government shutdown affecting DHS operations, congressional leaders proposed a two-track funding plan to reopen DHS and address immigration enforcement funding separately, though political disagreements continue to stall progress.
Senate Republicans are advancing a plan to reopen most of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) during the ongoing government shutdown by funding all components except ICE’s immigration enforcement, aiming to gain support from President Trump and Senate Democrats. The proposal includes passing election-related provisions from the SAVE America Act through a separate budget reconciliation bill, though experts doubt these measures will meet strict budgetary rules, raising questions about the plan’s political feasibility. While Democrats remain cautiously open but demand ICE restrictions, bipartisan negotiations continue amid optimism from some Senate leaders to end the shutdown and restore DHS operations.
The 2026 Democratic primary in Illinois to replace Senator Dick Durbin centers on immigration enforcement, with candidates Lieutenant Governor Julianna Stratton, and Representatives Raja Krishnamoorthi and Robin Kelly all opposing ICE but differing in their reform approaches. The race is heavily influenced by outside spending, notably Krishnamoorthi’s $29 million ad campaign supported by a pro-crypto super PAC, while Governor JB Pritzker backs Stratton with significant financial resources, highlighting his political influence. This contest underscores broader Democratic Party divisions on immigration policy, anti-Trump strategies, and the impact of campaign financing ahead of the 2026 midterms.
Kilmar Abrego Garcia, a protected legal resident from El Salvador, was deported from Maryland due to an "administrative error" acknowledged by the Trump administration, leading to legal proceedings scheduled for review by a federal judge. Garcia and his U.S. citizen wife have filed a lawsuit seeking his return, citing a 2019 judicial protection that should have prevented the deportation, and are also requesting a halt to payments to the high-security prison in El Salvador where he is held. The case underscores the complexities of immigration enforcement and the significant impact of administrative oversights on individuals with legal protections.