Acting ICE Director Todd Lyons to step down from agency | CNN Politics

Acting Immigration and Customs Enforcement Director Todd Lyons is stepping down from his role later this spring, Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin announced Thursday. Lyons, a veteran of the federal agency, was tasked with overseeing the Trump administration’s mass deportation plan as the acting ICE chief, placing him under immense scrutiny as the agency ramped up arrests last year and on the heels of the shootings of two US citizens by federal agents in January. In a statement, Mullin called Lyons a “great leader of ICE and key player in helping the Trump administration remove murderers, rapists, pedophiles, terrorists, and gang members from American communities.” Lyons’ last day at ICE will be May 31, Mullin said. While Mullin didn’t provide a reason for the departure, in an internal memo obtained by CNN, Lyons wrote that the decision wasn’t “easy,” but was “the right one for me and my family.” “My wife and I are looking forward to spending as much time as possible with our sons, who, as many of you know from experience, grow up too fast,” he added. “Serving alongside you has been one of the greatest honors of my life,” he went on to say, ad