Washington DC - The Trump administration on Tuesday picked a senior US Immigration and Customs Enforcement official who previously worked for a private prison company to be the agency's new acting director.

"Dave Venturella will serve as acting ICE director following Todd Lyons' departure," the Department of Homeland Security said in a statement on Tuesday, cited by Reuters.

His appointment comes just weeks before Lyons is set to depart the agency on May 31 after also serving as acting director. ICE has not had a permanent Senate-confirmed director since 2017.

Venturella has held various law enforcement and immigration-related roles since the 1990s, and has worked at ICE under both Republican and Democratic administrations. He rejoined the agency last year after President Donald Trump returned to the Oval Office.

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Before rejoining of the agency in 2025, Venturella worked at GEO Group, a major for-profit prison company that operates immigration detentions centers across the US.

GEO Group has numerous contracts with ICE, making the company millions as it imprisons migrants and provides various services utilized by the agency.

It is believed that Venturella is a friend and ally of White House border czar Tom Homan and an active supporter of Trump's heavy-handed and inhumane immigration policy.

ICE has overseen the mass abduction, detention, and deportation of thousands of migrants. Its operations have seen civilians and US citizens killed, and its detention centers have become notorious for inhumane conditions.

Democratic Congresswoman Delia Ramirez of Illinois immediately rejected Venturella's appointment, writing on X that it was intended "to ensure Trump's corporate bosses continue profiting from our communities' pain."

"But Americans demand oversight and accountability. We must Melt ICE, end detention, and dismantle DHS," she said.