ICE Acting Director Todd Lyons told lawmakers Thursday that the agency is tracking about 1.6 million people in the United States who have final deportation orders, including roughly 800,000 with criminal convictions.
Lyons testified before the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, where senators questioned ICE’s enforcement priorities, the use of body-worn cameras, and oversight of agents.
Interior immigration enforcement has remained politically contentious, with ICE operations drawing scrutiny over their scale and effects on communities. The hearing took place amid heightened attention on federal immigration enforcement following two fatal shootings during operations in Minneapolis involving Renée Good and Alex Pretti, both U.S. citizens.
During the session, Senator James Lankford, a Republican from Oklahoma, asked Lyons what share of people in removal proceedings or subject to detainers already have final removal orders.
Lyons said he did not have a percentage, but cited current agency tracking: about 1.6 million final orders nationwide, with approximately 800,000 tied to individuals who have criminal convictions. He added that these orders are issued by immigration judges within the Department of Justice system, rather than directly by ICE or the Department of Homeland Security.
Lyons appeared alongside U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services Director Joseph Edlow and U.S. Customs and Border Protection Commissioner Rodney Scott. The officials had also testified earlier in the week before the House Committee on Homeland Security and returned Thursday for the Senate hearing, where lawmakers pressed them on the shootings and other enforcement policies.
A separate panel of Minnesota officials also testified, including Attorney General Keith Ellison, U.S. Representative Tom Emmer, state Representative Harry Niska, and Minnesota Department of Corrections Commissioner Paul Schnell.
Lyons and Scott declined to provide detailed accounts of the shootings, citing ongoing investigations. The hearing was chaired by Senator Rand Paul, a Republican from Kentucky.
Scott told senators that body-worn camera footage related to Pretti’s shooting was under review and would be released. Asked directly whether the footage would be made public, Scott said yes, while emphasizing that conclusions should wait until evidence is evaluated.
Lyons said ICE conducted 37 internal investigations into officers’ use of force over the past year. He told senators 18 of those cases were closed, while 19 remained pending or had been referred for additional examination.
Separately, White House border czar Tom Homan said Thursday that Operation Metro Surge—a large federal immigration enforcement deployment in Minnesota—was winding down, with staffing already being reduced after weeks of protests.
An internal DHS document obtained by CBS News showed that fewer than 14% of the nearly 400,000 immigrants arrested by ICE during President Donald Trump’s first year back in office had charges or convictions for violent offenses. The document indicated that close to 60% had some form of criminal charge or conviction, though most were not for violent crimes.
