When current acting Director Immigration and Customs Enforcement Director Todd Lyons departs his post at the end of the month, a former career ICE agent is set to take his place, according to the Department of Homeland Security.<\/p>\n
“Dave Venturella\u00a0will serve as Acting ICE Director following Todd Lyons departure,” according to a DHS spokesperson. \u00a0<\/p>\n
Venturella Is a close ally of border czar Tom Homan, and previously worked at a private prison group.\u00a0<\/p>\n
![\"PHOTO:](\"https:\/\/i.abcnewsfe.com\/a\/0b1366c7-6d04-4805-bec0-7bfc0e12daf5\/ice-5-12_1778634921454_hpMain.jpg?w=375 "\\"Chicago\\"")
<\/picture><\/div>\n<\/div>FILE – A federal agent wears a badge of Immigration and Customs Enforcement while standing outside an immigration courtroom at the Jacob K. Javits Federal Building in New York, June 10, 2025.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n Yuki Iwamura\/AP<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n According to a law enforcement source, the choice is in line with DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin’s approach to have a low-key pick run the agency — which boasts the largest law enforcement budget in the country.<\/p>\n Last month, DHS announced Lyons’ upcoming departure<\/a>.<\/p>\n Lyons said he was leaving his role to spend more time with his family, according to his resignation letter reviewed by ABC News.<\/p>\n “My sons are both reaching a pivotal point in their lives and my wife and I wish to spend as much time as possible with them,” the letter reads. “This was not an easy decision, but I believe it is the right one for me and my family at this time. I am confident that ICE will continue to fulfill its vital responsibilities with integrity and professionalism.”<\/p>\n It is unclear if\u00a0Venturella will be nominated for the post full time or serve in an acting capacity. \u00a0<\/p>\n ICE has not had a Senate confirmed director since 2017.<\/p>\n As acting director during the first year of the second Trump administration,\u00a0Lyons oversaw the largest expansion of ICE in U.S. history with funding through the\u00a0massive tax and policy bill<\/a>\u00a0Trump championed last year, known as the “One Big Beautiful Bill.”<\/p>\n During Lyons’ tenure, the Trump administration sent ICE officers into cities across the U.S., including Chicago, Los Angeles and Minneapolis, as part of stepped-up federal immigration enforcement efforts that aimed to fulfill one of Trump’s key campaign pledges.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n