An official who oversaw the vetting of Immigration and Customs Enforcement recruits warned last year that the agency was shortcutting vetting procedures for new hires, according to a whistleblower complaint.

The official, whose name was redacted in the document, previously served as unit chief for ICE's Office of Professional Responsibility. The complaint, submitted to the Department of Homeland Security's Office of Inspector General in August 2025, was filed as the agency was ramping up hiring of ICE agents.

ABC News obtained a copy of the complaint from the whistleblower's attorney.

"The systematic failures, detailed in this memorandum, constitute a direct violation of federal law, DHS directives, and national security policies," the complaint states. "The deliberate circumvention of personnel vetting and clearance procedures has placed DHS at grave risk of insider threats, infiltration, and reputational harm."

The official wrote that the agency was issuing final job offers "prior to any preliminary vetting by the personnel security division." The complaint also states that applicants were being granted favorable "preliminary suitability determinations without fingerprinting, identity verification, or credit checks."

"The result is a historic lowering of vetting standards where proper risk mitigation is sacrificed to onboard personnel quickly," the official wrote. "This creates a systematic vulnerability to infiltration, insider threats, and exploitation by...

Read Full Story: https://news.google.com/rss/articles/CBMiqwFBVV95cUxNOXRqQ3pRN19YXzZ5ZXh4bTVv...