Warren Presses New ICE Acting Director on Abuse of Revolving Door, Cloud of Corruption Surrounding ICE and Trump Admin; Seeks Ethics Commitments Amid Conflicts of Interest

Skip to primary navigation Skip to content × Close Mobile Nav About About Elizabeth Committee Assignments About Massachusetts Voting Record Contact Share Your Opinion Help with a Federal Agency Office Locations Send me Updates Share Your CFPB Story Save Our Schools Services Help with a Federal Agency Return to Repayment Guide Visiting DC/Tours Flag Request Internships Meeting Requests Academy Nominations Special Recognitions Grants Small Businesses Veterans, Servicemembers and Military Families FY2027 National Defense Authorization Act Requests FY 2027 Appropriations Requests Oversight Reports Letters Social Security War Room Save Our Schools Campaign Legislation Newsroom News Coverage Press Releases Op-Eds Videos × Close Site Search search Elizabeth Warren Senator Elizabeth Warren's Facebook Page (This link opens in new window or tab.) Senator Elizabeth Warren's BlueSky (This link opens in new window or tab.) Senator Elizabeth Warren's Twitter (This link opens in new window or tab.) Senator Elizabeth Warren's Youtube (This link opens in new window or tab.) Senator Elizabeth Warren's Instagram (This link opens in new window or tab.) About About Elizabeth Committee Assignments About Massachusetts Voting Record Contact Share Your Opinion Help with a Federal Agency Office Locations Send me Updates Share Your CFPB Story Save Our Schools Services Help with a Federal Agency Return to Repayment Guide Visiting DC/Tours Flag Request Internships Meeting Requests Academy Nominations Special Recognitions Grants Small Businesses Veterans, Servicemembers and Military Families FY2027 National Defense Authorization Act Requests FY 2027 Appropriations Requests Oversight Reports Letters Social Security War Room Save Our Schools Campaign Legislation Newsroom News Coverage Press Releases Op-Eds Videos Español Close Search Open Search Popup Popup Search Close Search Popup MENU Senator Elizabeth Warren's Facebook Page (This link opens in new window or tab.) Senator Elizabeth Warren's BlueSky (This link opens in new window or tab.) Senator Elizabeth Warren's Twitter (This link opens in new window or tab.) Senator Elizabeth Warren's Youtube (This link opens in new window or tab.) Senator Elizabeth Warren's Instagram (This link opens in new window or tab.) Home Newsroom Press Releases May 28, 2026 Warren Presses New ICE Acting Director on Abuse of Revolving Door, Cloud of Corruption Surrounding ICE and Trump Admin; Seeks Ethics Commitments Amid Conflicts of Interest “Your career can be characterized as a continuous, decades-long trip in and out of the revolving door between ICE and the private prison industry.” “Americans should not have to wonder whether ICE enforcement priorities are being driven by the financial interests of politically connected detention contractors,” Text of Letter (PDF) Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) pressed the Acting Director-Designate for Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), David Venturella, on his decades-long revolving door career between ICE and the private prison industry and his reported use of Department of Homeland Security (DHS) personnel and resources for personal or political favors. The senator raised concerns about Venturella’s ability to effectively head up the already-troubled agency and sought ethics commitments to ameliorate Venturella’s apparent conflicts of interest. “[Your background] raises serious concerns about your ability to effectively serve as ICE’s leader, especially at a time when the Trump Administration’s mass deportation agenda is systematically violating fundamental human rights,” wrote Senator Warren. Venturella spent over two decades overseeing detention policy and contracts at ICE, followed by a decade at GEO Group — one of ICE’s largest defense contractors — until he returned to ICE in February 2025. After his return, GEO secured hundreds of millions of dollars in new detention contracts tied to the Trump administration's immigration crackdown, which included projects Venturella allegedly reviewed personally. Reports also allege Venturella has also used his position as head of federal immigration enforcement for personal or political favors, including detaining the ex-wife of Paolo Zampolli, a longtime Trump associate and ally who was embroiled in a custody battle. “If true, these allegations would be an inappropriate and extraordinary abuse of power,” wrote Senator Warren. Under the Trump administration, ICE operations have faced intense scrutiny over deaths in detention, due process violations, aggressive and indiscriminate ICE raids targeting families and children, and the rapid expansion of privately operated detention infrastructure, including by aggressively converting warehouses built for Amazon packages to detention facilities. Venturella’s ties to GEO Group and the ethics concerns surrounding his appointment further raise concerns about his fitness to head up the agency. “Communities across the country are increasingly alarmed