David Venturella, a former executive at private prison operator GEO Group, is named to serve as the acting leader of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), according to the Trump administration and reporting from multiple outlets. The appointment is described as following the step-down of ICE’s current leader at the end of the month. Venturella is said to have left GEO Group in early 2023 and has since been working at ICE, where he leads a division that oversees detention contracting. NPR reports that the agency he is set to run has a larger workforce and more financial resources than at the start of Trump’s second term, while also facing a continued funding lapse. Some sources also mention that members of Congress wrote a public letter raising questions or concerns about Venturella’s background and role overseeing detention contracts. Other coverage frames the appointment as part of the administration’s management of immigration enforcement and the detention system. Across sources, there is agreement that Venturella will take over as acting ICE chief and that he comes to the role from leadership experience in the private detention industry and contracting oversight at ICE.