Former private prison executive David Venturella will become ICE's acting leader

Published: 2026-05-13 09:20:15 ET GEO

Published on 05/13/2026 at 09:20 am EDT

WASHINGTON (AP) — David Venturella, a former executive at a private prison operator, will serve as the acting head of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, the Trump administration says, after the agency's current leader steps down at the end of the month.

A spokesperson for the Department of Homeland Security said late Tuesday that Venturella would succeed Todd Lyons when Lyons departs. ICE did not immediately respond to an email seeking additional information Wednesday.

Venturella left the Geo Group in early 2023 and has been working at the department leading the division that oversees detention contracts, members of Congress wrote in a public letter earlier this year.

He retired in February 2023 from the Geo Group, where he served in a number of posts, including executive vice president overseeing corporate development, according to a Securities and Exchange Commission filing.

His appointment comes as DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin settles into his role atop the Cabinet agency overseeing ICE.

Federal officials announced Lyons' departure last month. He led ICE amid President Donald Trump's efforts to reshape immigration.

Under Lyons' leadership, the agency used a massive infusion of cash to expand hiring and detention capabilities, and it ramped up arrests to meet demand from the Republican administration.

ICE has been at the center of high-profile immigration enforcement operations in American cities, including Chicago and Minneapolis, where a deployment ended after backlash erupted over the deaths of two American protesters at the hands of federal immigration officers.