DHS officials say the acting director of Immigration and Customs Enforcement will resign at the end of May

WASHINGTON (AP) — Acting U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Director Todd Lyons, a key enforcer of President Donald Trump’s mass deportation agenda, will resign at the end of May, federal officials announced Thursday.

Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullen announced Leon’s departure, calling him a great leader for ICE who has helped make American communities safer. The Lions’ last day will be May 31, Mullen said.

“We wish him well in his next opportunity in the private sector,” Mullen said in a statement. The Department of Homeland Security did not immediately respond to an email from The Associated Press asking why he resigned.

Read more: The chief of ICE ordered him to appear in court to explain why detainees were being denied due process

Lyons, who was appointed acting director in March 2025, has led the agency into the heart of President Donald Trump’s plans to reshape U.S. immigration.

Under his leadership, the agency was granted a massive infusion of funds through Congress, used it to expand recruitment and detention capabilities, and ramped up arrests to meet the administration’s demand.

ICE was also central to a series of high-profile immigration enforcement operations in US cities, including Chicago and Minneapolis, a deployment that ended after violent reactions erupted over the killing of two US protesters by federal immigration officers.

Stephen Miller, the president’s deputy chief of staff and the chief architect of his immigration policy, called Leon a “dedicated leader.”

“His courageous work at ICE has saved countless thousands of American lives and helped bring safety and calm to millions of Americans,” Miller said in a statement.

White House spokeswoman Abigail Jackson described Lyons in a post on X’s website as “an American patriot who made our country safer.”

It’s not clear who might replace Lyons. But whoever does will be taking over an agency flush with money while still a flashpoint for controversy. Immigration and Customs Enforcement is at the center of a battle in Congress, where Democratic lawmakers are demanding restrictions on immigration officers before agreeing to restore routine funding for the Department of Homeland Security.

On Thursday, Lyons, along with two other top immigration officials, appeared before a House subcommittee to defend his agency’s budget and faced continued scrutiny from lawmakers over ICE’s actions.

Lyons’ departure also comes as the Department of Homeland Security comes under new leadership after Trump fired former Secretary Kristi Noem, who led the department through major changes to the administration’s immigration policy.

Mullen, who took over as secretary last month, is likely to continue pushing the president’s agenda but has taken a softer tone on some of the administration’s more controversial policies.

Public perceptions of ICE during Leon’s tenure were low. In a February AP-NORC poll, most American adults, including independents, said they had an unfavorable view of the agency.

Lyons faced questions in Congress about the shooting deaths of Rene Judd and Alex Peretti and was asked if he would apologize for the way some Trump administration officials described Judd as an instigator. He refused to do so.

“I welcome the opportunity to speak with the family privately,” Lyons said. “But I will not comment on any ongoing investigation.”

Lyons said he saw a video showing Pretty being shot, but said he could not comment, citing an active investigation.

Lyons, who joined ICE in 2007 as an immigration enforcement agent in Texas, signed a memo, first obtained by The Associated Press, that gave federal immigration officers broad powers to forcefully enter homes and make arrests without a warrant.

Trump’s border czar Tom Homan described Lyons as serving selflessly and as an “effective and highly respected director of ICE.”

Golden reported from Seattle.