Senior US immigration official David Venturella to lead ICE

Senior US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) official David Venturella has been chosen to lead the agency following the resignation of former acting director Todd Lyons last month, a Department of Homeland Security (DHS) spokesperson said Tuesday.

Venturella previously led ICE’s Secure Communities program.

He later joined private prison company GEO Group as senior vice president of client relations, serving until 2023.

GEO Group holds more than $1 billion in contracts with ICE, according to NBC News citing public records.

After retiring, Venturella continued advising the company on contracts as a consultant.

Former President Barack Obama ended Secure Communities in 2014 after then-DHS Secretary Jeh Johnson said it damaged trust between immigrant communities and local police.

The program shared fingerprints of everyone booked into jail with federal authorities to identify undocumented immigrants.

President Donald Trump revived the program in 2017 during his first term. In March, Trump replaced Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem with Republican Sen. Markwayne Mullin.

Trump campaigned on mass deportations for his second term, and after returning to office, ICE operations in cities including Los Angeles, Minneapolis, and Chicago drew national attention.

During an operation in Minneapolis, federal agents fatally shot two US citizens, Renee Good and Alex Pretti.

Lyon's resignation on May 31 came amid a record funding lapse, although it was not immediately clear why he was leaving.