The Dispute Index

Todd Lyons

Portrait of Todd Lyons
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement

American law enforcement official who served as acting director of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement from March 2025 until the end of May 2026. He is a career ICE official who previously led the agency's Enforcement and Removal Operations division.

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What we have documented

We have documented 3 statements by Todd Lyons, in 3 cases. Each statement below gives the quotation, its original source and a link to the full case.

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Statements by Todd Lyons

Portrait of Todd Lyons

Todd Lyons

Role at the time: Senior Official Performing the Duties of the Director of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement

Denied

Statement summary

In a May 11 letter to Colorado Secretary of State Jena Griswold, Todd M. Lyons wrote that "there is no reason for ICE personnel to be deployed to polling places" and added that ICE Homeland Security Investigations "will continue to perform this vital mission" of investigating voter fraud.

“Therefore, there is no reason for ICE personnel to be deployed to polling places. ICE officers and special agents are sworn federal law enforcement officials that are responsible for enforcing violations of immigration and criminal laws. However, as the principal investigative component of DHS, ICE Homeland Security Investigations plays an important role in investigating voter fraud and will continue to perform this vital mission.”
Read the official statement (opens in a new tab)Letter from Todd M. Lyons, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, to Colorado Secretary of State Jena Griswold, May 11, 2026 · U.S. Immigration and Customs EnforcementOne-page letter dated May 11, 2026, third paragraph
Why we used this label

The fixed reference point is the administration's stated or threatened use of ICE at or near polling places. Lyons answered a request for confirmation that ICE would not be present by writing that there is no reason for ICE personnel to be deployed to polling places, which rejects the premise of a planned presence. Mixed or conditional loses because the added sentence concerns voter-fraud investigations, not a polling-place deployment.

Read statementFull case: Should ICE and other armed federal agents be allowed at or near polling places in the 2026 election?
Portrait of Todd Lyons

Todd Lyons

Role at the time: Acting director of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement

Defended or excused

Statement summary

Lyons said Mendoza Hernández tried to run over an officer and that agents fired defensive shots consistent with their training.

“As officers approached the car, the wanted gang member weaponized his vehicle in an attempt to run an officer over. Following their training, our officers fired defensive shots to protect themselves, their fellow agents and the public.”
Open source (opens in a new tab)‘ICE got bad information’: Attorney disputes government claims made in Northern California ICE shootingLines 258–314; statements by Todd Lyons and Patrick Kolasinski
Why we used this label

Relative to the officers’ decision to fire, Lyons argues that the shooting was a justified defensive response to an attempted vehicular assault.

Read statementFull case: Were federal immigration officers justified in shooting Carlos Iván Mendoza Hernández?
Portrait of Todd Lyons

Todd Lyons

Role at the time: Acting Director of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, in a public statement

Defended or excused

Statement summary

After body-camera footage and records were released, acting ICE Director Todd Lyons said the agency stands by the grand jury's unanimous decision that found no criminality in the shooting.

“We stand by the grand jury's unanimous decision that found no criminality.”
Open source (opens in a new tab)CBS News: Bodycam video contradicts ICE claims in fatal shooting of Ruben Ray MartinezParagraphs describing the body-camera footage and quoting acting ICE Director Todd Lyons.
Why we used this label

Lyons's statement affirms the grand jury's finding of no criminality and stands behind the shooting's propriety on the agency's behalf, which defends the conduct under scrutiny.

Read statementFull case: Was HSI Special Agent Jack Stevens justified in fatally shooting Ruben Ray Martinez?

A participant is a subject of the case. A speaker has a statement documented in it. A commentator has an opinion or editorial documented in it.

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