A 17-year veteran official in the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) told the New York Times that the “unprecedented lowering of standards” for hiring new ICE recruits created “a potential to put lives at risk and to jeopardize national security.” The whistleblower speaks with authority; he oversaw more than 100 ICE employees who were responsible for evaluating thousands of ICE applicants. At issue are both the suitability for employment, as well as the tactics used after employment, of the new recruits.
The whistleblower accused ICE of seeking “to be more convenient rather than thorough.” Applicants were given job offers before even the most basic vetting steps were completed, such as confirmation of identity, credit checks, mental stability, fingerprint checks, etc. Traditionally, federal law enforcement agencies have vetting teams, who will spend 10 days evaluating each applicant. A constant concern of all law enforcement is that drug cartels or organized crime groups may seek to penetrate their agencies.
