A Politico report claimed that acting head of Immigration and Customs Enforcement Todd Lyons was under so much stress that he needed to be hospitalized twice in seven months.
Acting ICE chief Todd Lyons was not feeling well because of all the pressure the administration was putting on him, Politico reported, citing sources who said.
In one incident in December, Lions security detail took him to a hospital in Washington and was admitted overnight, according to a former and two current administration officials. The report by Daniel Lipman said that during one episode in September, the three people said Lyons was hospitalized for at least one night. Sources recounted one particular incident to Politico in which Lyons became so distressed when ICE agents were unable to locate an immigrant on their target list in Los Angeles, that one of his bodyguards took a portable defibrillator from a nearby government office to Lyons in case he needed medical intervention.
Stephen Miller shouts at Leon
The report said officials noticed Lyons starting to sweat and his face turning deep red when under extreme stress. Stephen Miller, the architect of the Donald Trump administration’s anti-immigration blueprint, shouted at Lyons during morning phone calls with administration officials. The report also quoted officials who defended Miller, saying he did not yell at Leon, but was just emotional. “He would be visibly upset and struggling to make the decisions a manager has to make,” one former official said, referring to Lyons.
A current official and two former officials also said Lyons often took too long to make decisions, forcing his deputies to do more work.
Lyons says the tension has nothing to do with the White House
Lyons issued a statement distancing himself from his work and the White House. “Since the beginning of this administration, I have worked day and night, all day, every day to undo the damage that Joe Biden has caused to the American people,” he said. He added: “Any pressure is in no way related to pressure exerted by the White House, and nothing will hinder me in doing my job.” He did not address reports of his hospitalization in 2025.
