The Trump administration put lives at risk by failing to properly vet people seeking to become ICE agents during a frantic hiring spree, a whistleblower has alleged.
An official who oversaw the vetting of thousands of ICE recruits said the Department of Homeland Security could have broken the law and exposed the country to “grave national security risks” by cutting corners during last summer’s hiring spree, The New York Times reported.
Among the major concerns about the lax vetting process was that waves of dangerously unqualified candidates were being fast-tracked into ICE ranks so they could carry out Donald Trump’s hardline immigration policies.
The whistleblower, a unit chief and 17-year ICE veteran before retiring from the agency in July, cited other “unprecedented” reductions in vetting standards, including ICE applicants receiving job offers before passing basic fingerprint, identity, or credit checks.
“We chose as an agency to be more convenient rather than thorough,” the whistleblower told the Times. “By doing so, there was a potential to put lives at risk and to jeopardize national security.”
The actions of masked ICE agents and the training they undergo have come under increased scrutiny following the killings of multiple U.S. civilians.
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