Acting ICE head Todd Lyons hospitalized twice over stress, Stephen Miller yells at him: Report

Acting head of Immigration and Customs Enforcement Todd Lyons has not been keeping well because of all the pressure the administration puts on him, Politico reported citing sources who said Lyons had been hospitalized twice over the last seven months.

In one incident in December, Lyons’ security detail drove him to a hospital in Washington and he was admitted overnight, according to one former and two current administration officials. During an episode in September, the three people said Lyons was hospitalized for at least one night, the report by Daniel Lippman said. The sources recounted one particular incident to Politico where Lyons became so distressed when ICE agents couldn't locate a migrant 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 yells at Lyons

The report said officials noticed how Lyons starts sweating and his face turns deep red when he is under intense stress. Stephen Miller, the architect of the Donald Trump administration's anti-immigration blueprint, yelled at Lyons during morning phone calls with administration officials. The report also cited officials who defended Miller and said he did not shout at Lyons, but was merely passionate. “He would be visibly upset and struggling to make the decisions that were needed to be made by the director,” said one of the former officials, referring to Lyons.

One current official and two former officials also said that Lyons often takes a long time making decisions, forcing his deputies to have to do more work.

Lyons says stress is unrelated to White House

Lyons issued a statement in which he distanced his stress from his work and the White House. “Since the beginning of this administration, I have worked night and day, all day, every day to undo the harms Joe Biden has caused to the American people,” he said. “Any stress is in no way related to pressure from the White House, and nothing will get in the way of me doing my job.” He did not address the reports of his two hospitalizations in 2025.