David Venturella Expected to Become Acting ICE Director

A longtime immigration enforcement official with ties to the detention industry is expected to lead ICE, a development likely to prompt Democratic scrutiny over his past role at a private prison company even as Republicans seek to boost the agency's funding and deportation operations.

David Venturella is expected to be named acting ICE director as current Acting ICE Director Todd Lyons leaves his post next week, multiple sources familiar with the matter told Fox News.

Venturella has served in the Trump administration as an ICE senior advisor. He held a senior role in the ICE division that manages detention-center contracts, though ICE stated he has no role in reviewing, approving or recommending contracts.

Tom Homan helped recruit him after President Donald Trump was elected.

Before returning to government, Venturella worked for more than a decade at The GEO Group, a private prison firm with contracts to operate immigration detention facilities for ICE.

The company has faced numerous allegations and lawsuits claiming abuse, neglect and substandard care at its detention facilities.

Venturella, a career immigration enforcement official, earned millions at GEO, where he served as an executive from 2012 to 2023 and as a paid consultant through Jan. 31, 2025.

He began his career in 1986 at the former Immigration and Naturalization Service and later acted as director and assistant director of ICE's Office of Detention and Removal Operations.

Sources said Venturella is well liked within ICE. One source described him as "definitely on board with the mission and the mass deportation agenda," though he does not support certain policies, including roving immigration patrols, that were used during former Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem's tenure.

Republicans are pushing a roughly $70 billion reconciliation package to fund ICE and Customs and Border Protection. Democrats are expected to raise concerns about Venturella's prior work with GEO, which has a history of complaints.