What we know about ICE official comparing mass deportation to Amazon Prime for humans
In early April 2025, claims circulated online that the acting director of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Todd Lyons, compared the deportation efforts of President Donald Trump's administration to the Amazon Prime delivery service.
According to posts on social media, Lyons said, "We need to get better at treating this like a business … like [Amazon] Prime, but with human beings." Amazon is known for its speedy delivery of products, albeit with no shortage of controversy regarding the treatment of its employees.
Users posted the alleged quote to platforms such as X (archived), TikTok (archived) and Instagram (archived), with some outraged and others supportive.
According to news reports, the quote "We need to get better at treating this like a business … like [Amazon] Prime, but with human beings," is correctly attributed to Lyons. The claims originated from Lyons' appearance at the 2025 Border Security Expo in Phoenix, which took place April 8 and 9, 2025.
The expo is self-described as "where the most influential government leaders, law enforcement officials, and industry innovators gather to tackle the most pressing challenges in border security." Lyons was listed as a guest speaker on the event's official website, though we found no photos or video from his address on any of its social media pages.
The original reporting of the quote came from the Arizona Mirror, an "independent, nonprofit news organization" that is part of States Newsroom, self-described as "the nation's largest state-focused nonprofit news organization."
Snopes contacted the reporter of the piece, Jerod MacDonald-Evoy, to ask for an audio recording of the event. Until we can verify the audio matches the reported quote, we've opted not to put a rating on this claim. However, the Arizona Mirror story was cited by large media outlets such as The Guardian, Rolling Stone, The Independent and Bloomberg.
The expo took place as the Trump administration was making headlines for its mass deportation efforts. In early April 2025, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that a 1798 law cited by the White House was grounds for deporting alleged Venezuelan gang members. The previous month, the U.S. deported a Maryland man to a prison in El Salvador in what ICE called an "administrative error."
Further, the administration sought to justify its attempted deportation of legal U.S. resident and Columbia University graduate student Mahmoud Khalil by citing "past, current, or expected beliefs, statements or associations or associations that are otherwise lawful."
Snopes contacted ICE and the White House for comment on Lyons' statement and will update this article if we receive a response.
- YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vOpaIhk2Rik. Accessed 11 Apr. 2025.
DHS Documents Submitted in Immigration Court Case of Mahmoud Khalil. https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/25894225-dhs-documents-mahmoud-khalil/. Accessed 11 Apr. 2025.
Dunbar, Marina. "Ice Director Wants to Run Deportations like 'Amazon Prime for Human Beings.'" The Guardian, 9 Apr. 2025. The Guardian, https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/apr/09/ice-todd-lyons-deporation-amazon.
"'Extremely Troubling' That US Can't Provide Details on Mistakenly Deported Man, Judge Says." AP News, 11 Apr. 2025, https://apnews.com/article/deportation-trump-salvador-maryland-abrego-garcia-3dc3f81c866fb7decb1e65123fa51aa7.
Jerod MacDonald-Evoy. "ICE Director Envisions Amazon-like Mass Deportation System: 'Prime, but with Human Beings.'" Arizona Mirror, 8 Apr. 2025, https://azmirror.com/2025/04/08/ice-director-envisions-amazon-like-mass-deportation-system-prime-but-with-human-beings/.
"Outrage Grows over Maryland Man's Mistaken Deportation to El Salvador Prison." AP News, 2 Apr. 2025, https://apnews.com/article/el-salvador-deportation-maryland-man-trump-c21e54f77c1e6716e2998c2463f6650b.
"Pressed for Evidence against Mahmoud Khalil, Government Cites Its Power to Deport People for Beliefs." AP News, 10 Apr. 2025, https://apnews.com/article/mahmoud-khalil-columbia-university-trump-c60738368171289ae43177660def8d34.
Ramirez, Nikki McCann. "ICE Director: Deportation Should Operate Like Amazon 'But With Human Beings.'" Rolling Stone, 9 Apr. 2025, https://www.rollingstone.com/politics/politics-news/ice-director-todd-lyons-deportation-operate-amazon-1235314047/.
"Speakers | Border Security Expo 2024." Border Security Expo, https://www.bordersecurityexpo.com/speakers. Accessed 11 Apr. 2025.
"The Alien Enemies Act: What to Know about a 1798 Law That Trump Has Invoked for Deportations." AP News, 16 Mar. 2025, https://apnews.com/article/alien-enemies-trump-immigration-deportations-21a62ede23b8c493b60d00a9c125722f.
"Tigers, Swimming Pools, a Nightclub: The Gang Drawing Trump's Ire Started in a Venezuelan Prison." AP News, 31 Mar. 2025, https://apnews.com/article/venezuela-tren-aragua-trump-deportations-guantanamo-el-salvador-0e283ba28a6566426da45b21e4fdf9ee.
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Reporters Elena Perry, Thomas Clouse, Emry Dinman and Corbin Vanderby contributed to this report. Elena Perry's work is funded in part by members of the Spokane community via the Community Journalism and Civic Engagement Fund. This story can be republished by other organizations for free under a Creative Commons license. For more information on this, please contact our newspaper's managing editor.
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Trump Snaps at Fox News Reporter Who Tells Him Protests Are Spreading
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