President Donald Trump’s nomination of Oklahoma state trooper Lance Schroyer as director of Immigration and Customs Enforcement has been praised by politicians, but behind closed doors, it is being met with concern.Several current and former federal officials familiar with Schroyer’s background and ties to Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin told the Washington Examiner this week that his nomination was a “mistake” that may do more to hurt Trump’s immigration agenda than help it.“I think it’s a mistake,” one official said. “He’s never been a supervisor. Never been a boss. Never had a budget. Never worked with foreign partners. He’s only been a trooper. This could set things back. It can send things off the rails. It could be a new guy trying to show off and do his own thing. Senior leaders could say f*** it and leave or retire.”

Praise for Trump’s pick has rolled in from the Oklahoma governor, senators, and some Trump administration officials, but others say Schroyer’s lack of managerial experience, personal ties to Mullin, and inexperience in a federal position make him more of a liability than an asset.Who is Schroyer?

Schroyer has worked in local and state law enforcement since 1997, including in the Tulsa Police Department before joining the Oklahoma Highway Patrol in 2000.“Prior to his current role, he served as a Major at the Oklahoma Department of Public Safety over the Emergency Services Unit,” a DHS spokesperson wrote in an email. “In that capacity, he directed the operational activity of at least eight discrete specialized units tasked with recovering abducted children, disaster response, civil disturbance, immigration enforcement, dignitary protection, and threat assessment and rapid response.”Trump said Saturday in a Truth Social post that Schroyer had “DECADES of experience locking up the worst of the worst, including spearheading 287g Law Enforcement partnerships with ICE!”Schroyer was described by DHS as a state employee who worked on partnerships with federal immigration officials last year under the 287(g) program.Section 287(g) gives ICE the authority to delegate specific immigration officer duties to state and local police. Counties and states can opt in at their discretion and have done so at extraordinarily high rates under Trump, leading to more illegal immigrant encounters.Schroyer enters Mullin’s world