Immigration and Customs Enforcement has allowed some recruits who haven’t been fully vetted into its training program as it tries to boost hires.
The Department of Homeland Security outfit later found out that recruits in training had either failed drug tests, had criminal histories preventing them from joining, or didn’t meet physical fitness or academic criteria, one current and two former DHS officials told NBC News.
One recruit at the ICE training facility in Brunswick, Georgia, the current DHS official said, had been charged with strong-arm robbery and battery over a domestic violence incident.
The same official and the two former officials also said that some recruits in the six-week training course hadn’t completed one element necessary for background checks: submitting their fingerprints.
ICE’s vetting and drug test policies, the former officials said, have not been adhered to as strictly as it was before the agency sought to increase its staffing.
DHS’s pinned post on X from July 29 is a plea to join ICE, which was a major beneficiary of the GOP budget legislation that Donald Trump signed into law this summer. The bill increased funding from $10 billion to over $100 billion by 2029, in part to help hire 10,000 new officers by next year.
In all, more than 200 recruits have been dismissed since the summer hiring surge, according to internal ICE data obtained by NBC News. Less than ten were shown the door for criminal charges, drug tests, or safety concerns. The vast majority couldn’t meet physical or academic metrics.
“There is absolutely concern that some people are slipping through the cracks,” the current DHS official told NBC News, explaining that recruits themselves have been the ones to admit that they didn’t go through fingerprinting or drug testing. “What about the ones who don’t admit it?” the official questioned.
In a statement to NBC News, the DHS disputed the report.
“The figures you reference are not accurate and reflect a subset of candidates in initial basic academy classes,” agency spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin said.
“The vast majority of new officers brought on during the hiring surge are experienced law enforcement officers who have already successfully completed a law enforcement academy. This population is expected to account for greater than 85% of new hires. Prior-service hires follow streamlined validation but remain subject to medical, fitness, and background requirements.”
When reached for comment by the Daily Beast, a senior DHS official did not directly address recruits’ vetting—of lack thereof—but rather how recruits would be trained at Federal Law Enforcement Training Centers (FLETCs).
“FLETC is prepared to accommodate 11,000 new hires by the beginning of next year,” the official said. “ICE continuously evaluates and modernizes its training programs and curriculum. We have streamlined training to cut redundancy and incorporate technology advancements.”
“No subject matter has been cut,” the official added. “Candidates still learn the same elements and meet the same high standards ICE has always required.”
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