Overview
- Venturella, a longtime immigration official who later worked for private-prison giant GEO Group, will take over after Todd Lyons leaves on May 31.
- Homeland Security leaders want ICE to keep a low public profile while staying assertive in arrests, with plans to target people with criminal records and reduce agent doxxing risks by allowing masks.
- Reporting ties his tenure to an internal shake-up that would speed pending deportation orders and replace managers viewed as slow to carry out the administration’s priorities.
- Democrats and civil-rights groups cite conflict-of-interest concerns over his GEO Group ties and his role overseeing related contracts while advising ICE.
- The leadership change follows backlash over recent operations, including a Minneapolis case where agents killed two U.S. citizens, and comes as ICE continues to operate without a Senate-confirmed chief.