In a comment that has ignited fierce backlash, Todd Lyons, Director of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), suggested that America’s deportation system should be as organized, efficient, and fast as Amazon Prime’s package deliveries.
Speaking at the 2025 Border Security Expo in Phoenix, Lyons said, “We need to get better at treating this like a business,” drawing parallels between Amazon’s rapid delivery model and ICE’s deportation operations. “Imagine deportation like Prime—but with human beings,” he added, according to AZ Mirror.
Lyons elaborated that just as Amazon trucks crisscross the country delivering packages with precision, he envisioned ICE teams systematically moving through communities to identify, detain, and deport undocumented immigrants. His remarks triggered immediate outrage among immigrant rights advocates, who accused him of dehumanizing vulnerable populations.
“People Are Not Packages”
Cinthya Rodriguez, national organizer for Mijente, a prominent Latinx advocacy group, condemned Lyons’ analogy, calling it “deeply disturbing.”
“Over the years, ICE has increasingly partnered with tech companies to automate policing,” Rodriguez said. “Comparing the deportation of human beings to the shipment of consumer goods reduces immigrants to commodities. These policies are cruel, reckless, and driven by white supremacy and greed—not safety.”
Rodriguez further warned that accelerating deportations could tear families apart and deepen existing societal harms.
Collaboration with Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency
In another revelation during his speech, Lyons said ICE is now working closely with Elon Musk’s newly formed Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), an initiative Musk claims will “disrupt bloated bureaucracies.”
According to Todd Lyons, DOGE is helping ICE streamline access to sensitive databases, including Social Security numbers, ostensibly to root out cases of voter fraud. Privacy advocates immediately raised alarms about potential overreach and civil liberties violations.
“Handing over Social Security data to ICE sets a dangerous precedent,” said Samuel Reyes, a spokesperson for Digital Rights Now. “It’s a short walk from mass deportations to mass surveillance.”
Todd Lyons: Praise for Trump-Era Immigration Tactics
At the same Border Security Expo, Lyons appeared alongside Trump-era “border czar” Tom Homan and Kristi Noem, now Secretary of Homeland Security. Several officials lauded former President Donald Trump’s controversial use of an obscure legal provision to deport Venezuelans en masse—a move they vowed to expand.
Secretary Noem, emphasizing a hardline approach, said, “We will double down on the laws that work. If it means faster removals, we will not hesitate.”
Mounting Political Fallout
The fallout from Todd Lyons’ Amazon Prime comparison is already rippling through Washington. House Democrats called the remarks “chilling” and demanded an official apology. Meanwhile, progressive groups are planning a nationwide series of protests under the banner “Humans, Not Packages.”
Despite the criticism, Todd Lyons stood by his remarks later in the day, telling reporters, “I’m focused on outcomes. Efficiency saves taxpayer dollars.”
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