Acting ICE Director Todd Lyons to step down from agency

By Priscilla Alvarez, Holmes Lybrand, CNN

(CNN) — Acting Immigration and Customs Enforcement Director Todd Lyons is stepping down from his role later this spring, Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin announced Thursday.

Lyons, a veteran of the federal agency, was tasked with overseeing the Trump administration’s mass deportation plan as the acting ICE chief, placing him under immense scrutiny as the agency ramped up arrests last year and on the heels of the shootings of two US citizens by federal agents in January.

In a statement, Mullin called Lyons a “great leader of ICE and key player in helping the Trump administration remove murderers, rapists, pedophiles, terrorists, and gang members from American communities.”

Lyons’ last day at ICE is May 31, Mullin said.

Earlier Thursday, Lyons testified before a House Appropriations subcommittee where he fielded questions from lawmakers about the unprecedented number of deaths in ICE custody and future agency plans for detention space, among other issues.

It’s unclear who would step in the role after Lyons departs. ICE has been without a Senate-confirmed leader since the Obama administration.

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