WASHINGTON, United States — The White House withdrew Richard “Lance” Schroyer’s nomination to lead US Immigration and Customs Enforcement on Thursday, September 17, 2026, ending a confirmation bid that had stalled in the Senate.
Schroyer, a former Oklahoma state trooper, was included among five nominees whose names were withdrawn in an official White House notice.
The notice formally identified his proposed position as assistant secretary of homeland security.
The administration did not provide a reason for withdrawing the nomination.
President Donald Trump announced Schroyer as his intended nominee in June, placing the little-known former trooper in line to oversee an agency central to the administration’s immigration enforcement programme.
Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin had selected Schroyer after an earlier prospective candidate encountered opposition from some White House officials.
Schroyer had served on Mullin’s security detail when Mullin represented Oklahoma in the Senate.
At a National Sheriffs’ Association event this year, Mullin described him as a “good friend of mine.”
The nomination did not advance to a confirmation hearing before the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee.
Its chairman, Kentucky Republican Rand Paul, had not scheduled proceedings on Schroyer’s appointment.
Paul and Mullin had clashed during Mullin’s confirmation hearing earlier in the year.
Some immigration hardliners and Department of Homeland Security officials had also questioned Schroyer’s suitability, citing his limited experience in immigration enforcement and managing a large federal agency.
The White House and Department of Homeland Security had not issued further public explanations for the withdrawal.
ICE has not had a Senate-confirmed director since the administration of President Barack Obama.
