How Trump chose a former Oklahoma state trooper to lead ICE — and handed Markwayne Mullin a win

By Kristen Holmes, Priscilla Alvarez, CNN

(CNN) — After an occasionally rocky start in his new post, Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin won an internal debate when President Donald Trump announced he was nominating Lance Schroyer, a former Oklahoma state trooper, to lead Immigration and Customs Enforcement, five sources familiar with the dynamic told CNN.

The federal agency, which falls under DHS, is charged with carrying out Trump’s pledge of mass deportations; if confirmed, Schroyer would lead that task as the administration tries to deliver unprecedented results. He’d be charged with increasing immigration arrests and ramping up detention space, even as the administration had to sell or find ways to repurpose some warehouses that received bipartisan pushback.

All three ICE directors in the second Trump administration have served in an acting capacity. One of Mullin’s first tasks after assuming the role of secretary in March was selecting a leader for the agency after then-Acting Director Todd Lyons announced his departure.

Mullin originally proposed a different candidate, Tulsa County Sheriff Vic Regalado, which caused friction with some White House officials, who did not think he was the correct fit, the sources said. (Regalado said publicly he took himself out of consideration.)

When it became clear that Mullin’s first choice was not going to get White House support, Mullin turned to Schroyer, whom he called a “good friend of mine” at a National Sheriffs’ Association event this year. Schroyer currently serves as a senior adviser to Mullin and was part of Mullin’s security detail in the Senate.

But there were internal disagreements over whether he was the right fit, particularly when the administration is under pressure to show results from the president’s immigration crackdown, the sources said.

“[Schroyer] is Markwayne’s person— but he was ultimately appointed by the president,” one source said, noting that Trump has interviewed Schroyer and liked him.

Longtime immigration official David Venturella is expected to stay as acting ICE director until Schroyer is confirmed, according to a DHS official.

ICE hasn’t had a Senate-confirmed leader since the Obama administration, and lawmakers could take issue with Schroyer’s relative lack of experience if or when his nomination is considered. The agency’s aggressive tactics, which have drawn criticism from Democrats and some Republicans, would also be the subject of debate at a confirmation hearing.

Mullin consulted with Stephen Miller, who is considered the chief architect of Trump’s immigration policy, throughout the candidate selection process, a White House official told CNN, adding that Miller was supportive of the president’s decision to appoint Schroyer.

White House border czar Tom Homan, a close Trump ally and veteran ICE official, has generally pushed for people with immigration enforcement experience to serve as ICE director. But sources said the relationship between Homan and Mullin is solid.

In a statement Saturday, Mullin touted Schroyer’s decades-long career in law enforcement and collaboration with ICE, saying: “President Trump made a great pick, and I’m confident Lance’s strong leadership and firsthand experience will empower the men and women of ICE to deport criminal illegal aliens, secure the homeland, and protect the American people.”

White House spokeswoman Abigail Jackson said in a statement: “The President’s entire law and order team is working closely together to execute on the President’s agenda to deport illegal aliens and keep our border secure. Ultimately, the President is the one who makes these decisions and his team moves forward to act on them.”

Schroyer’s selection is the latest example of Mullin making his mark on the department, but disagreements behind the scenes also reveal what some sources described as “growing pains.”

“It is really hard to be an elected official and then become staff. They’ve been master of their own universe, and now they’re not,” one senior White House official said to CNN, adding that at the end of the day everyone in the administration works for Trump, not themselves.

“They think they’re going to be the guy brokering all the deals and it takes several months to get into a groove, but it’s really rocky. And Markwayne has had some of that, but it hasn’t been as rocky as others,” the senior White House official added.

Sources said that Mullin has expressed frustration with working under the close watch of the White House.

“[Mullin] has had to learn the ropes—including checking everything through the White House from policy to personnel—and it’s been a learning curve,” another official said.

At times, one of the sources said, Mullin has bumped up against having to keep Miller in the loop on everything the department is doing. (One White House official pushed back on that.) The sources said that while Miller and Mullin have a “positive” working relationship, Mullin has occasionally disagreed openly on both immigration messaging and policy.

“All policy has to run through Stephen as an extension of the White House,” one source said, noting again that this is not a familiar dynamic to those coming into the White House from outside positions. As deputy chief of staff for policy, Miller is across policy making decisions throughout the administration, including immigration, a White House official told CNN.

Mullin has also sometimes butted heads with Homan on policy implementation because he has less experience in immigration enforcement, one source told CNN.

It’s not unusual for secretaries to select agency leadership familiar to them. Former DHS Secretary Kristi Noem brought on Madison Sheahan, who previously worked as her political director, to serve as ICE deputy director.

Mullin has repeatedly made clear that he prefers a more “quiet” approach, compared to former Noem’s flashiness. But the goal remains the same: driving up the number of arrests of undocumented immigrants.

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