President Donald Trump withdrew the nomination of Lance Schroyer to lead U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, changing course less than two months after tapping the former Oklahoma state trooper for a high-profile position heading an agency under intense scrutiny amid a sweeping immigration crackdown.
Schroyer's name is on a list released by the White House Sept. 17 of nominees for various offices who were withdrawn from consideration for Senate confirmation. The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment explaining the decision. Trump praised Schroyer in a July 27 social media post announcing his nomination.
"Lance Schroyer has what it takes to DETAIN AND DEPORT Illegal Alien Criminals, including murders, rapists, and
drug traffickers at a rate never seen before!" Trump said in nominating Schroyer.
Trump's aggressive immigration agenda has put ICE in the spotlight, with the agency's tactics sparking intense criticism. Protests erupted after two people were shot and killed by immigration agents during enforcement actions in Minneapolis earlier this year.
Trump fired former Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem on March 5 amid the uproar and appointed former Oklahoma U.S. Sen. Markwayne Mullin to take her place. Acting ICE Director Todd Lyons resigned in May. ICE hasn't had a Senate-confirmed director since 2017.
Schroyer has 29 years of law enforcement experience and has been serving as a special adviser to Mullin after previously working on his security detail in the Senate. His nomination reportedly had stalled after Sen. Rand Paul, R-Kentucky, requested more information about the DHS investigation into the shootings in Minneapolis.
This story has been updated to add new information.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Trump withdraws nominee for ICE director from Senate consideration
