{"id":16227,"date":"2026-05-14T01:36:55","date_gmt":"2026-05-14T01:36:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/globalnewstoday.uk\/index.php\/2026\/05\/14\/former-private-prison-executive-david-venturella-will-become-ices-acting-leader-wsls\/"},"modified":"2026-05-14T01:36:55","modified_gmt":"2026-05-14T01:36:55","slug":"former-private-prison-executive-david-venturella-will-become-ices-acting-leader-wsls","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/globalnewstoday.uk\/index.php\/2026\/05\/14\/former-private-prison-executive-david-venturella-will-become-ices-acting-leader-wsls\/","title":{"rendered":"Former private prison executive David Venturella will become ICE&#039;s acting leader &#8211; WSLS"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Associated Press<br \/>Published:\u00a0<time datetime=\"2026-05-13T13:19:14.000Z\">May 13, 2026 at 9:19 AM<\/time><br \/>Updated:\u00a0<time datetime=\"2026-05-13T22:50:19.000Z\">May 13, 2026 at 6:50 PM<\/time><br \/>Associated Press<br \/>Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.<br \/>FILE &#8211; A U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent is seen in Park Ridge, Ill., Sept. 19, 2025. (AP Photo\/Erin Hooley, File)<br \/><strong>WASHINGTON<\/strong> \u2013 David Venturella, a former executive at a private prison operator, will serve as the acting head of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, the Trump administration says, after the agency&#8217;s current leader steps down at the end of the month. <br \/>A spokesperson for the Department of Homeland Security said late Tuesday that Venturella would succeed <a href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/immigration-customs-enforcement-ice-todd-lyons-da46097e88f93a7d6e15570222a34f06\">Todd Lyons<\/a>, who led the agency through much of the administration&#8217;s tumultuous crackdown on immigration. ICE did not immediately respond to an email seeking additional information Wednesday.<br \/>Recommended Videos<br \/>Venturella left the Geo Group in early 2023 and has been working at ICE leading the division that oversees detention contracts, members of Congress wrote in a public letter earlier this year.<br \/>At the Geo Group, which houses around one-third of ICE detainees, Venturella served in a number of posts, including executive vice president overseeing corporate development, according to a Securities and Exchange Commission filing. He also oversaw removal operations for ICE in 2011 and 2012 after working for federal contractors, including one that specializes in security clearances and background checks.<br \/>Geo has benefited from President Donald Trump\u2019s mass deportation push, <a href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/immigration-detention-centers-ice-deportations-trump-e92b67a388f041b84593d7a29fd93c54\">garnering big contracts<\/a> to open three shuttered facilities. <a href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/new-jersey-immigration-detention-center-delaney-hall-fa6b16870bd033c5a66499e5d5963c0c\">Among them was a $1 billion, 15-year deal for a detention center in New Jersey\u2019s largest city. <\/a><br \/>\u201cLast year was the most successful period for new business wins in our company\u2019s history,\u201d Geo\u2019s CEO George Zoley said during an earnings call last week. <br \/>Geo owns and operates 23 ICE detention facilities, with about 26,000 available beds. Zoley also said that ICE\u2019s air transportation subcontract had continued to steadily increase and that it secured a new contract last year for electronic monitoring. <br \/>To Silky Shah, executive director of the Detention Watch Network, the hire is a \u201cclassic example of the revolving door phenomena.\u201d In a statement, she expressed concern that \u201cVenturella\u2019s intimate knowledge of ICE will likely yield another spike of ICE detention facility openings.\u201d <br \/>Venturella will lead ICE at a time when the public mood has soured on Trump\u2019s immigration crackdown, which sent surges of federal immigration officers into American cities to round up immigrants. Those raids sent tensions soaring and prompted clashes between protesters and law enforcement, leading to <a href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/immigration-minneapolis-sue-alex-pretti-renee-good-5a0b98ac7173ce0e9ecc3bf9a39e3919\">the fatal shootings<\/a> of two U.S. citizens in Minneapolis earlier this year.<br \/>Trump returned to the White House on a promise of mass deportations, and ICE has been a central executor of that vision. Under Lyons\u2019 leadership, the agency used a <a href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/congress-immigration-ice-deportation-budget-be983b14f60a5cdfc17af7cf0307f1c9\">massive infusion of cash<\/a> to expand hiring and detention capabilities, and it ramped up arrests to meet demand from the Republican administration.<br \/>Federal officials announced Lyons\u2019 departure last month from ICE, which had gotten $75 billion from Congress to fulfill Trump\u2019s mass deportation campaign. <br \/>Venturella&#8217;s appointment comes as DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin settles into his role atop the Cabinet agency overseeing ICE. Mullin has promised to keep his department out of the headlines and has indicated <a href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/immigration-ice-border-trump-mass-deportations-77ca6741fe11ac35852c8b15d3016991\">a softer tone on immigration<\/a>, although he is expected to align with the president&#8217;s priorities on mass deportations. <br \/>One <a href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/immigration-detention-centers-pushback-24e702da67281a672b0f77287aaa87ba\">contentious issue<\/a> confronting DHS now is a plan for converting warehouses into immigrant detention. Conceived while Kristi Noem led the department, the effort has encountered multiple lawsuits and <a href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/immigrant-detention-warehouses-ice-trump-51ad28e6b1e1c3fa60a38029d932aeeb\">intense community blowback,<\/a> including in Republican-led states. <br \/>The $38.3 billion plan <a href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/ice-detention-facilities-expansion-warehouses-c61c3e23c4246e94a760b4d979cb9c48\">would increase detention capacity to 92,000 beds<\/a> and mean acquiring eight large-scale facilities, capable of housing 7,000 to 10,000 detainees each, and 16 smaller regional processing centers. <br \/>Those, and other sites, were supposed to be running by the end of November. But after Noem\u2019s departure, DHS paused the <a href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/immigration-detention-centers-pushback-24e702da67281a672b0f77287aaa87ba\">purchase of new warehouses<\/a> as it scrutinizes all contracts signed during her tenure.<br \/>Last month a judge <a href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/ice-warehouse-maryland-dfc7def1b2412668c761441bf0e5c6a6\">extended<\/a> a stoppage on transforming <a href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/465f29bf754b365fda75b723b0dd0322\">a massive Maryland warehouse<\/a> into a processing facility for immigrants, and there are signs that federal officials are scaling back the plans or agreeing to conduct more thorough environmental reviews. <br \/>On Wednesday, DHS\u2019s Office of Inspector General confirmed in an email that it is conducting an audit of the warehouse purchases, although it said it wouldn\u2019t provide details on the scale or scope. <br \/>\u201cWe are committed to full transparency and will not interfere with the ongoing investigation,\u201d DHS said in a statement.<br \/>If the warehouse conversions falter, that could be good news for Geo. The Florida-based company has about 6,000 idle beds at six company-owned facilities, Zoley said last week. <br \/>Zoley had offered a note of skepticism about the warehouse plan during an earlier earnings call in February, noting that renovating a warehouse is \u201cmore complicated than you may think.\u201d At that point, he said the company was \u201ccautiously\u201d looking at whether to bid to help operate some of them.<br \/>Copyright 2026 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.<br \/>Click here to take a moment and familiarize yourself with our Community Guidelines.<br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/www.wsls.com\/tv-listings\/\" aria-label=\"Navigate to TV Listings\">TV Listings<\/a><br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/www.wsls.com\/account\/newsletters\/\" aria-label=\"Navigate to Email Newsletters\">Email Newsletters<\/a><br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/www.wsls.com\/rss\/\" aria-label=\"Navigate to RSS Feeds\">RSS Feeds<\/a><br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/www.wsls.com\/contests\/\" aria-label=\"Navigate to Contests and Rules\">Contests and Rules<\/a><br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/www.wsls.com\/contact\/\" aria-label=\"Navigate to Contact Us\">Contact Us<\/a><br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/www.wsls.com\/station\/2019\/09\/19\/learn-about-wsls-10-internships\/\" aria-label=\"Navigate to Internships at WSLS 10\">Internships at WSLS 10<\/a><br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/www.wsls.com\/careers\/\" aria-label=\"Navigate to Careers at WSLS 10\">Careers at WSLS 10<\/a><br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/www.wsls.com\/station\/2019\/11\/11\/closed-captioning-information\/\" aria-label=\"Navigate to Closed Captioning \/ Audio Description\">Closed Captioning \/ Audio Description<\/a><br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/publicfiles.fcc.gov\/tv-profile\/WSLS-TV\" aria-label=\"Navigate to Public File\">Public File<\/a><br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/www.wsls.com\/eeo-report\/\" aria-label=\"Navigate to Current EEO Report\">Current EEO Report<\/a><br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/www.wsls.com\/station\/2019\/11\/11\/terms-of-use\/\" aria-label=\"Navigate to Terms of Use\">Terms of Use<\/a><br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/www.wsls.com\/privacy\/\" aria-label=\"Navigate to Privacy Policy\">Privacy Policy<\/a><br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/www.wsls.com\/usprivacy\/\" aria-label=\"Navigate to Do Not Sell My Info\">Do Not Sell My Info<\/a><br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/www.wsls.com\/station\/2020\/11\/19\/fcc-applications\/\" aria-label=\"Navigate to FCC Applications\">FCC Applications<\/a><br \/><button type=\"button\" style=\"appearance:none;border:none;background:none;color:inherit;padding:0;cursor:pointer\" aria-label=\"Open cookie preferences dialog\">Cookie Preferences<\/button><br \/><span>If you need help with the Public File, call<\/span> <a class=\"dist__Box-sc-1fnzlkn-0 dist__LinkBase-sc-1fnzlkn-9 iBLULw\" href=\"tel:+15405121559\" aria-label=\"(540) 512-1559\">(540) 512-1559<\/a><br \/><span>At WSLS, we are committed to informing and delighting our audience. In our commitment to covering our communities with innovation and excellence, we incorporate Artificial Intelligence (AI) technologies to enhance our news gathering, reporting, and presentation processes.<\/span> <a class=\"dist__Box-sc-1fnzlkn-0 dist__LinkBase-sc-1fnzlkn-9 iBLULw\" href=\"https:\/\/www.wsls.com\/station\/2024\/04\/18\/how-we-are-using-ai-at-graham-media-group\/\" aria-label=\"Read our article\">Read our article<\/a> <span>to see how we are using Artificial Intelligence.<\/span><br \/>Copyright \u00a9 2026 WSLS.com is managed by Graham Digital and published by Graham Media Group, a division of Graham Holdings.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/news.google.com\/rss\/articles\/CBMixAFBVV95cUxPdkRlWFUxQkVwcXl1X29hYnF1dXZoSmhhaEZxM1JRS000R25ydHJ1ZW1VQnJCSU5BaThQU2tkR1E0ZmNkNGlsZWhHQzd3ZENPT3RXUVdOZ3dBT1YxdGlPUVJ6bl9EMG01RFNjSDlsVmhTWjNTZFNBYlBkaTVvZlpXTWhVbmhzMnVkVFBnWEx0WDRXMDg2Sk1jT1V0N2R5WS1ZdU5sOFIwdURtaEhGbVpxSGFtSk9BT09FZlNCdUVtS1l6MHJH?oc=5\">source<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Associated PressPublished:\u00a0May 13, 2026 at 9:19 AMUpdated:\u00a0May 13, 2026 at 6:50 PMAssociated PressCopyright 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.FILE &#8211; A U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent is seen in Park Ridge, Ill., Sept. 19, 2025. (AP Photo\/Erin Hooley, File)WASHINGTON \u2013 David Venturella, a former executive at a private prison operator, will serve as [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":16228,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-16227","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-world"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/globalnewstoday.uk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16227","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/globalnewstoday.uk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/globalnewstoday.uk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/globalnewstoday.uk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/globalnewstoday.uk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=16227"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/globalnewstoday.uk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16227\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/globalnewstoday.uk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/16228"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/globalnewstoday.uk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=16227"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/globalnewstoday.uk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=16227"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/globalnewstoday.uk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=16227"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}