The White House pushed back hard Friday against a news report that Todd Lyons, the acting director of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), had been hospitalized at least twice for stress-related issues with the Trump administration that left him visibly upset and strained.
The pushback came after a Politico report said Lyons was hospitalized at least twice while carrying out President Donald Trump’s immigration agenda.
The stress has left Lyons unable to carry out key decisions, the report states, citing two current and two former administration officials who were unnamed.
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“He would be visibly upset and struggling to make the decisions that were needed to be made by the director,” one former unnamed official told the news website.
“Trash reporting from a trash “reporter” pushing tabloid b——- in an attempt to divide and distract. Todd Lyons is an American Patriot,” the White House Rapid Response X account said in response to the story.
The episodes were attributed to pressure from above for Lyons to ramp up deportations and from top advisor Stephen Miller, who allegedly yelled at Lyons during morning phone calls with administration officials, Politico reported.
“This is b——- and more of the trash that Daniel Lippman has peddled over the years in the name of clicks and clout,” Miller’s wife, Katie Miller, wrote on X in response to the Politico reporter’s story.
White House spokeswoman Abigail Jackson said Politico was given “on record” denials prior to the story being published.
“Shame on Politico for publishing such inaccurate trash,” Jackson wrote on X. “Todd Lyons is an American patriot who has worked tirelessly to undo Biden’s disastrous immigration policies that wreaked havoc on American communities.
“And the American people are deeply appreciative for his hard work making our country safer. Despite multiple on record denials and sources refuting their pathetic ‘reporting’ and *still* ran with this absurd article.”
The reported hospitalizations took place over several months. In one incident, Lyons was driven to a hospital by his security detail, and he was admitted overnight.
In September, Lyons became distressed that ICE agents were unable to locate an illegal immigrant in Los Ángeles during a ride-along with top administration officials.
One of his bodyguards took a portable defibrillator from a nearby government office to Lyons in case he needed medical intervention, the report said.
After heated calls with Miller, Lyons expressed frustration that the White House was often mad at his agency, according to the current official and former official who heard such comments.
“Todd, Stephen and the entire White House team have a great working relationship and coordinate closely to deliver on the president’s many promises,” White House spokesperson Abigail Jackson said in a statement.
“Todd Lyons is an American patriot who has worked tirelessly to undo Biden’s disastrous immigration policies that wreaked havoc on American communities.”
Fox News Digital has reached out to ICE and Politico.
