Todd Lyons Joins Defense Contractor After Leading ICE

Todd Lyons, the former acting director of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), has taken on a new role with a defense contractor. Lyons will assist with U.S. homeland defense strategy, interagency operations, and international security. His new position is with Navigators Security and Defense, which confirmed to NPR that it does not participate in lobbying and that Lyons must avoid engaging with the Department of Homeland Security for a year due to federal regulations. Lyons has not responded to NPR’s requests for comment.

Navigators Security and Defense operates under Navigators Global, a lobbying entity serving clients such as General Motors, the New York Jets, and GEO Group. GEO Group manages immigration detention centers, including one in Newark, N.J. Navigators stated that Lyons brings over 30 years of law enforcement leadership and military experience, benefiting their clientele. Additionally, since 2011, Navigators Global has represented NPR and the NPR Network to Congress.

Lyons’ Tenure at ICE

Lyons served as the acting director of ICE from March 2025 to May 2026. His leadership period included managing some of the most challenging immigration enforcement operations under the Trump administration. These operations involved high-profile crackdowns in cities like Chicago and Minneapolis. The White House had set a daily arrest target of 3,000 individuals for ICE. Despite using assertive tactics, including arrests inside immigration courts, the agency did not meet the set quota.

Last month, Lyons resigned from his role, and David Venturella succeeded him. Venturella, an ICE veteran, previously held multiple positions at GEO Group, including senior vice president of client relations and a paid consultant. GEO Group has significantly increased its business under the Trump administration. Notably, in 2025, the group reported an income of $254 million, reflecting a 700% increase from 2024. According to Chairman George Zoley, 2025 marked the most successful period for new business in the company’s history.