politics
David Venturella Named Acting Head of ICE
David Venturella, who previously worked at GEO Group, will become acting director of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement after the current leader departs at the end of May. The appointment was announced by the Department of Homeland Security on Tuesday. Venturella has been overseeing ICE detention contracts since rejoining the agency in 2023.
May 13, 5:48 PM·2m read4 sources
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The Department of Homeland Security announced that David Venturella will serve as acting director of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement following the departure of the current acting director at the end of the month. A DHS spokesperson said Venturella would succeed the current acting director, who led the agency through much of the administration’s immigration enforcement efforts.
Venturella left GEO Group in early 2023 and has been working at ICE leading the division that oversees detention contracts, according to a public letter from members of Congress earlier this year.
At 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 previously oversaw removal operations for ICE in 2011 and 2012.
GEO Group owns and operates 23 ICE detention facilities with about 26,000 available beds. The company has received contracts to open three shuttered facilities, including a $1 billion, 15-year deal for a detention center in Newark, New Jersey.
Under the current acting director’s leadership, the agency used a massive infusion of cash to expand hiring and detention capabilities. It ramped up arrests and has deported more than 570,000 people. The agency is currently arresting about 1,200 people a day and hired 12,000 new employees during the current acting director’s tenure.
ICE received $75 billion from Congress last summer, about half dedicated to expansion of detention space. Federal officials announced the current acting director’s departure last month.
The new acting director takes over an agency with a larger workforce and more financial resources than at the start of the administration. The Department of Homeland Security has indicated a desire to shift away from headline-grabbing enforcement surges in cities while continuing to build detention and deportation capacity. The agency faces a continued funding lapse.
