ICE official who worked at private prison firm will be agency's new acting head

U.S. President Donald Trump's administration said on Tuesday that Immigration and Customs Enforcement official David Venturella, who worked at private prison company GEO Group before rejoining ICE, will be the agency's new acting director.



"Dave Venturella will serve as acting ICE director following Todd Lyons' departure," the Department of Homeland Security, which oversees ICE, said in a statement. Lyons, ICE's current acting head, will leave the federal government on May 31, DHS said in April.



ICE has operated for years with directors serving in an "acting" capacity. The agency has been without a Senate-confirmed director since early 2017. Since taking office early last year, Trump has cracked down on immigration, with rights groups saying the government's actions violate due process and free speech rights and create an unsafe environment, especially for ethnic minorities.



ICE has been at the heart of Trump's crackdown with its immigration detentions and attempted deportations. ICE agents' fatal shooting of two U.S. citizens in Minnesota, Alex Pretti and Renee Good, in January sparked nationwide protests. Trump has justified the crackdown by saying it aims to cut illegal immigration and improve domestic security.



Venturella has worked at ICE under Republican and Democratic administrations. He has also worked at GEO Group, a private prison firm that operates more than a dozen federal civil immigrant detention centers across the country. He rejoined ICE last year.