Border Hawk Tapped — Lib Panic Erupts

Close-up of an ICE officer badge on a black jacket — HUGE ICE GAMBLE

President Trump’s pick of Oklahoma lawman and Marine veteran Lance Schroyer to finally lead ICE has the left in panic and border hawks saying, “It’s about time.”

Story Snapshot

President Trump announced Lance Schroyer, a former Oklahoma state trooper and U.S. Marine, as his nominee to run Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
Schroyer brings 29 years of front-line law enforcement and 287(g) partnership experience but no prior ICE insider role.
The Department of Homeland Security says he has been a senior adviser to Secretary Markwayne Mullin, focused on tying local police to federal immigration enforcement.
Mainstream outlets paint the move as a “mass deportation” push, while Trump and Mullin urge the Senate to quickly confirm him after 11 years without a Senate-approved ICE chief.

Trump Taps Oklahoma Lawman To Finally Put A Leader At ICE

President Donald Trump used a Truth Social post on Saturday, June 27, to tell Americans he is nominating Lance Schroyer to be the next director of Immigration and Customs Enforcement.^[2]

Schroyer is a former Oklahoma state trooper with 29 years in law enforcement, a background Trump says proves he knows how to take dangerous criminals off the streets.^[2] The agency has gone more than a decade without a Senate-confirmed director, leaving a key border enforcement post stuck in acting status.^[2]

The Department of Homeland Security says Schroyer has been serving as a senior adviser to Secretary Markwayne Mullin, helping coordinate federal immigration authorities with local police and sheriffs.^[1]

Trump’s post called him a United States Marine, a “PATRIOT with real operational experience” and a “proven leader with DECADES of experience locking up the worst of the worst,” signaling a focus on tough enforcement rather than Washington politics.^[7]

For many, that mix of military service and street-level policing matches their demand for law and order at the border.^[5]

Schroyer’s Record: Marine Veteran, 287(g) Operator, But No ICE Insider

Department of Homeland Security statements and coverage from outlets like CNN confirm Schroyer previously served as a major in the Oklahoma Department of Public Safety’s Emergency Services Unit.^[3]

There he oversaw specialized units that handled disaster response, civil disturbance, and immigration enforcement operations, including work under the 287(g) program that lets local officers carry out certain federal immigration duties under ICE oversight.^[1]

Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin says Schroyer is “coming straight from the operational field” and has firsthand experience removing illegal aliens from Oklahoma.^[3]

President Donald Trump announced the nomination of a new ICE director in a post on Truth Social on Saturday. Trump is tapping Lance Schroyer to serve as the next director of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). pic.twitter.com/5fMjV3gqgt

— LiveNOW from FOX (@livenowfox) June 27, 2026

Reports from NBC News and others note a key gap critics are already seizing on: Schroyer has never worked inside ICE as an agency employee.^[2] Some anonymous insiders say the choice surprised parts of the bureaucracy, which wanted a career ICE manager.^[2]

But many see the lack of deep agency ties as a strength, not a weakness, because they blame long-time Washington staff for years of weak enforcement, sanctuary policies, and failure to stop waves of illegal immigration that strain local schools, hospitals, and police.^[5]

Media Spin, Rising Detention Scrutiny, And A Tough Senate Fight Ahead

Left-leaning outlets such as Al Jazeera and PBS frame Schroyer’s nomination as another step in what they call Trump’s “mass deportation campaign” and say public mood has “soured” on his immigration crackdown.^[6]

NBC News adds that a Department of Homeland Security watchdog recently opened two new reviews into how ICE handles detained migrants, including about 20 reported deaths in detention this year.^[2] That scrutiny gives Democrats and activist groups more talking points as they try to slow or block Trump’s broader border agenda.

President Trump nominates Oklahoma law enforcement veteran Lance Schroyer to lead ICE as permanent director. https://t.co/SmBPFUFDiU

— Cauan Victor (@CauanVi57) June 28, 2026

At the same time, Trump and Mullin are leaning hard on the message that Schroyer’s experience will help ICE target and deport “criminal illegal aliens” and protect American communities.^[5] The president has boasted of “highest daily arrest rates” and far more removals than the Obama years, but those claims have not yet been backed by detailed public data in this announcement.^[2]

An independent breakdown of arrest and deportation numbers, plus a clear plan from Schroyer on detention safety, would help supporters push back against media narratives and give Americans more confidence that enforcement is both tough and fair.