Washington .- The acting director of the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), Todd Lyons, submitted his resignation letter on Thursday to the new Secretary of Homeland Security, Markwayne Mullin, after having been in charge of overseeing the mass deportation plan of the Donald Trump Administration.
Lyons’ decision was preceded by the head of Homeland Security in a statement in which he referred to the head of ICE as “a great leader”.
Mullin added that Lyons will officially leave his position on May 31st, at the end of the US spring.
El director interino del Servicio de Inmigración y Control de Aduanas de Estados Unidos, Todd Lyons, en una fotografía de archivo. EFE/EPA/Matt Kaminsky
Outgoing ICE Director Testified in Congress
Hours before his resignation was announced, Lyons testified before a subcommittee of the House Appropriations Committee, where he answered questions from lawmakers about the unprecedented number of deaths in ICE custody and the agency’s future plans for detention space, among other topics.
According to official data, half a hundred migrants detained by ICE have died in their centers so far this year.
Lyons was at the head of ICE during the mass raids ordered by the then Secretary of Homeland Security, Kristi Noem, where different human rights organizations reported violations and in January two U.S. citizens died from shots fired by immigration agents in Minneapolis.
With Lyons’ departure, the position to lead the agency is vacant and since the Barack Obama administration (2009-2017) no director of ICE voted by the Senate has been appointed.
