&imwidth=800&imheight=600&format=webp&quality=medium "Longtime ICE official David Venturella to lead agency amid immigration crackdown")
Longtime Immigration and Customs Enforcement official David Venturella has been selected to lead the agency following the announced departure of acting director Todd Lyons, a Department of Homeland Security spokesperson confirmed on Tuesday (May 12). Venturella previously served as executive director of ICE’s Secure Communities programme, which focused on identifying people in the US illegally who were being held by local law enforcement agencies. Under the programme, digital fingerprints collected from everyone booked into jail were shared with federal authorities to identify individuals lacking legal immigration status.
The Secure Communities initiative was ended in 2014 by then Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson during the administration of former President Barack Obama. Johnson argued at the time that the programme damaged trust between immigrant communities and local police forces.
However, Trump reinstated the programme through an executive order during his first term in 2017. Trump has made immigration enforcement a central issue of his political agenda and campaigned for a second term on promises of mass deportations.
Venturella also held a senior position at private prison company GEO Group, where he served as senior vice president of client relations until 2023. Public records show the company has more than $1 billion in contracts with ICE. After retiring from GEO Group, Venturella continued working as a consultant for the company, advising on new and existing contracts, according to a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.
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His appointment drew criticism from immigration advocates and Democratic lawmakers. US Representative Delia Ramirez, an outspoken critic of Trump’s immigration policies, wrote on X that Venturella’s selection was aimed at ensuring “Trump’s corporate bosses continue profiting from our communities’ pain”.
