President Donald Trump has nominated Lance Schroyer, a former US Marine and Oklahoma state trooper, as the permanent director of US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
Trump praised Schroyer as a 'patriot with real operational experience' and a 'proven leader with decades of experience locking up the worst of the worst.'
Schroyer's nomination comes after ICE has been without a permanent director since 2017, when Tom Homan was picked by Trump but never confirmed by the Senate.
ICE has been at the center of mass deportations and detentions under Trump's agenda, and faced criticism for its harsh crackdown on immigration protesters in Minnesota in January.
Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin lauded the pick, saying Schroyer is 'coming straight from the operational field where he ran large scale operations.'
