OAN Staff Sophia Flores
10:03 AM – Tuesday, February 10, 2026
Acting United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Director Todd Lyons has testified before the House Committee on Homeland Security on Tuesday. He said that under the leadership of President Donald Trump and Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Kristi Noem, ICE agents have been empowered to do their job.
Lyons emphasized that the president has prioritized the removal of criminal aliens and national security threats, and that ICE is fulfilling that mandate.
Since President Trump’s return to office, over 7,000 suspected gang members and over 1,400 known or suspected terrorists have been removed from the country.
Lyons said while investigations in Minnesota are still ongoing, he’s encouraged that some state officials are showing willingness to cooperate with ICE.
He whole-heartedly backed his agents, criticizing anyone threatening their lives.
“We will not be intimidated,” Lyons said.
“We are enhancing public safety, securing our national security, and finally restoring integrity to an immigration system that had been allowed to collapse. While all illegal aliens are eligible for removal, we have prioritized and removed tens of thousands of the ‘worst of the worst’ – known dangerous criminals, known or suspected terrorists, and gang members who threaten our neighborhoods,” he added.
Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Commissioner Rodney Scott also testified, followed by U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (CIS) Director Joseph Edlow.
“The past year has been one of the most consequential in the history of America’s border security,” Scott said. “Under the decisive leadership of President Donald J. Trump, Secretary Kristi Noem, and Border Czar Tom Homan, and thanks to the tireless efforts of the thousands of dedicated public servants who work at our agencies to ensure border security, CBP has fundamentally reversed years of open-border policies, achieving record-low illegal entries between ports of entry. These results reflect a clear commitment to restoring the rule of law, prioritizing the safety of the American people, and empowering our officers and agents to fulfill their critical mission.”
Edlow then addressed efforts to protect the integrity of the legal immigration system.
“At the heart of our mission is the unwavering commitment to protect the integrity of the legal immigration system from those who seek to exploit, abuse, or undermine it,” he said. “Fraud is a national security and public safety concern because it’s often through fraud that many of those who wish to do us harm have accessed the United States. Over the past year, USCIS has implemented rigorous measures to detect, deter, and disrupt fraud at every stage of the immigration process.”
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