ICE's Next Leader Comes From the Private Prison World

A familiar name in the detention world is stepping into the top job at ICE. The Department of Homeland Security has tapped David Venturella, a former executive at private prison giant Geo Group, to serve as acting director of Immigration and Customs Enforcement, reports the Washington Post. Venturella, currently a senior adviser at ICE, will replace Todd Lyons, who departs at the end of the month and, like several predecessors, served only in an acting capacity without Senate confirmation.

The AP reports Venturella left the Geo Group in early 2023 and has been working at ICE since February 2025, leading the division that oversees detention contracts, members of Congress wrote in a public letter earlier this year. At the Geo Group, Venturella served in a number of posts, including executive vice president overseeing corporate development, according to an SEC filing. It said he also has worked for federal contractors, including one that specializes in security clearances and background checks. Geo has benefited from President Trump's mass deportation push, garnering big contracts to open shuttered facilities. Among them was a $1 billion, 15-year deal for a detention center in New Jersey's largest city.