Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin’s early run of goodwill appeared to end suddenly last week after Donald Trump reversed his order that had blocked ICE agents from conducting traffic stops. Now, people familiar with the department’s internal dynamics say Mullin could be facing an even more damaging setback.
His chosen nominee to lead ICE, Lance Schroyer, is facing growing uncertainty over whether he can win confirmation from his former colleagues in the Senate, eight current and former DHS officials told the Daily Mail. Concerns center on questions about Schroyer’s limited experience as well as personal issues now drawing renewed attention.
Among the allegations under scrutiny: Schroyer’s second ex-wife claimed in court filings that he failed to pay child support for their two children for a four-year period, according to documents reviewed by the Daily Mail.
Inside DHS, some officials have privately referred to Schroyer as a “deadbeat dad,” and believe the accusations could become a serious political liability for a nominee whose résumé describes him as “a devoted and loyal father, husband and friend.”
The allegations appear in Oklahoma family court records. In a 2021 filing, Schroyer’s second wife, from whom he divorced in 2017, alleged he had not paid any of the child support ordered by the court for four years, leaving her to provide for their two children without that support.
She later dismissed the application in 2022, waiving the unpaid child support while revising their joint custody arrangement. The dismissal did not determine whether her original allegation was valid.
When contacted by the Daily Mail, Schroyer’s second wife declined to discuss whether members of Congress or government officials had reached out to her during any vetting process.
“I am Lance’s ex-wife but I’m not allowed to speak to reporters,” she told the Daily Mail. “I really can’t. I’m protecting my children.”
Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin (pictured) is poised for fresh humiliation.
Mullin’s handpicked ICE director, Lance Schroyer (pictured), may not survive confirmation by his own former Senate colleagues, amid fresh scrutiny over his lack of experience and his personal baggage, eight current and former DHS officials tell the Daily Mail
Schroyer’s lawyer in the case told the Daily Mail he did not recall specifics of the dispute. Her lawyer, meanwhile, did not respond to a press inquiry.
Inside the DHS, Mullin has been mocked behind his back for elevating Schroyer, despite his lack of experience in immigration. The two have a close relationship.
Schroyer is a veteran state trooper who Mullin used as his security guard and unofficial chauffeur when he was a senator in Oklahoma. Mullin replaced Kristi Noem as Secretary of Homeland Security in March this year.
Mullin claims that, upon taking up the top DHS job, he went through a rigorous two-month search for the right person to lead ICE.
‘I interviewed countless individuals, because we wanted someone not to just hold the position, someone that could also be confirmed, and here you have Lance that was literally right in front of me the whole time,’ he told Fox News in a recent interview.
But sources familiar with the ICE director search told the Daily Mail they are not aware of Mullin’s vetting of other candidates. Instead, sources say, Mullin tapped his ‘buddy’ without consulting two of Trump’s top immigration advisers: Stephen Miller and Tom Homan.
One top ICE insider feared Schroyer’s lack of experience could ‘tank the agency.’
‘The guy has never led or commanded anything, never been a detective, never had to have a budget,’ the source added. ‘He’s only known for being a friend of Mullin and on his security detail. And now he’s being called on to lead the second largest law enforcement agency in the entire United States. Come on, it’s a joke.’
‘No immigration experience,’ another insider griped. ‘Another non-border security professional in charge of one of the most complex, important missions of our lifetime because he’s personal friends with another non-border security professional.’
The DHS touted Schroyer, a 27-year veteran of the Oklahoma Highway Patrol, as a ‘recognized leader in law enforcement operations and large-scale planning,’ specializing in ‘interagency collaboration, complex tactical planning, and constitutional safeguards in policy implementation.’
The department also cited his ‘decades of experience in de-escalation, incident management, special weapons and tactics, interview and interrogation, and dignitary protection.’
However, copies of his actual resume, circulating within DHS, have drawn ridicule, particularly some of the ‘special achievements’ he cites such as implementing plans for the 2024 solar eclipse and 2018 teacher walkout.
The Daily Mail has reviewed a copy of Schroyer’s work resume.
Nonetheless, the DHS is standing ‘firmly behind’ Schroyer and pushing for a ‘swift confirmation’ for later this month. However, the timing appears in doubt. The Senate has not yet scheduled an official hearing.
A source told the Daily Mail that Schroyer has met privately with Republican lawmakers on the Senate Homeland Security Committee, which is responsible for advancing his nomination.
However, insiders say Schroyer’s prospects may suffer given recent challenges to Mullin’s authority.
The secretary, last week, ordered ICE to stop making traffic stops after agents shot dead two men in less than a week in Maine and Texas. Both individuals were killed as agents tried to stop their cars.
Senator Susan Collins of Maine, who made the special request of Mullin, was the one who tweeted out the announcement, sparking outrage from Trump’s base.
Within two days, Trump reversed Mullin’s directive on Truth Social.
One source told the Daily Mail that Mullin was ‘hysterical’ when he learned the news.
After Kristi Noem, Mullin had been seen as a moderating force to lead Homeland Security following his predecessor’s aggressive, highly publicized enforcement tactics.
Prior to his tenure, public support for Trump’s immigration agenda was eroding and damaging the President’s approval ratings heading into the midterm elections.
After a period of relative calm, the controversial deaths last week put the administration’s crackdown back in the spotlight.
Mullin’s tepid response managed to infuriate not just progressives but also mass deportation hardliners, who blasted him for pivoting ICE’s focus towards migrants with a criminal history.
‘Mullin (pictured), who fondles stress balls all day, pushed the wussy button such that Trump personally had to overrule him publicly,’ a former senior DHS official said
‘It’s really f***ing bad over there,’ a senior ICE insider vented
Laura Loomer, the right-wing influencer with a habit of shaping Trump’s personnel decisions, joined the pile on against Mullin last week after he attempted to smooth the traffic stop controversy by tweeting, ‘President Trump and I are on the same page.’
‘You know it’s bad when you have to say, “President Trump and I are on the same page.” If you have to explain yourself, you are losing,’ Loomer said in response to Trump’s reversal of Mullin’s ICE policy.
‘He [Mullin] has completely lost the plot. He has failed to deliver mass deportations,’ said Loomer.
Former and current DHS officials who spoke to the Daily Mail also expressed waning confidence in Mullin’s leadership, questioning his convictions and whether he has any actual authority to make decisions.
‘Mullin, who fondles stress balls all day, pushed the wussy button such that Trump personally had to overrule him publicly,’ a former senior DHS official said snidely.
‘Mullin doesn’t know what he’s doing and is in over his head,’ the source continued. ‘Mullin looks and acts more like a Democrat than a member of a Republican cabinet.’
The fallout has officials openly questioning whether Schroyer’s confirmation hearing, expected later this month, will go ahead at all.
‘It’s really f***ing bad over there,’ a senior ICE insider vented.
‘This just shows no one is on the same page between the White House and the front office. This is why morale is so low in ICE.’
‘Folks don’t know if they are coming or going,’ the insider added, demanding: ‘Who’s in charge!?’
The confusion is not helped, they said, by ‘a guy [Schroyer] leading thousands of agents with zero experience in immigration enforcement.’
If approved, Schroyer would become the first Senate-confirmed ICE director since Sarah Saldana, an Obama appointee who left the agency in early 2017.
The role is currently filled on an acting basis by David Venturella, the longtime ICE official tapped this spring to succeed Todd Lyons, whose own tenure was never confirmed by the Senate.
Trump nominated Schroyer in late June in a Truth Social post, praising the former Marine and state trooper.
But the President has said little about the nomination in the weeks since.
‘Not a good week for the Mullin team,’ an ICE official remarked. ‘Have to wonder if they’ll keep Lance’s confirmation hearing later this month especially since that decision came out without Stephen or Homan’s input.’
The Daily Mail has contacted DHS, Schroyer, and Mullin for comment.
