ICE whistleblower: Agency cut corners to fill ranks

A U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) official warned the agency about cutting corners in vetting officer candidates as the agency surged its hiring under the Trump administration.

The whistleblower report filed last August cited significant issues in how the department was reviewing its new hires, including making offers to candidates who had not yet passed background checks.

The filing asked the Office of Inspector General (OIG) for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to investigate the matter.

The New York Times on Thursday was the first to report the whistleblower report, filed by a high-ranking career ICE veteran who retired in July.

In the report, which was also obtained by The Hill, the whistleblower flags “systemic breakdowns in vetting.”

“This unprecedented lowering of standards sacrifices proper risk mitigation for expediency, placing DHS at risk of infiltration and insider compromise,” they wrote.

The whistleblower filing accuses the agency of ignoring “derogatory” information collected on candidates and even pointed to political appointees, saying they were able “to ‘jump’ agencies and secure law enforcement credentials.”

The concerns from the whistleblower come after lawmakers and other DHS officials raised alarms about the speedy hiring process.

Those have taken new urgency since the July killing of Joan Sebastian Guerrero, who was shot in Maine by ICE officer David Brouillette, who has faced a string of complaints, including from an ex-wife who had accused him of abusive behavior.

The OIG in August announced it would be reviewing ICE hiring and training.

DHS on Tuesday said it would not comment on matters regarding former personnel but defended its current hiring regime.

“The ICE Office of Professional Responsibility diligently applies the proper personnel vetting regulations, including guidelines for national security, and evaluates all available information for every applicant based on these factors,” DHS said in a statement.

“Applicants may receive a Tentative Selection Letter following their initial application and interview. Additionally, individuals may receive an offer of temporary status to begin training pending a full background investigation.”

Another DHS whistleblower testified before Congress in February, telling lawmakers that in condensing the timeline for training for new ICE officers, they were cutting significant material.

Ryan Schwank, a former lawyer for ICE, said training for new officers had been pared down to the point where it is “deficient, defective and broken” during a forum organized by congressional Democrats about “constitutional violations and abuses” within ICE policies. He accused ICE leaders of shielding training shortcuts from the public.

“For the last five months, I watched ICE dismantle the training program, cutting 240 hours of vital classes from a 584 hour program, classes that teach the Constitution, our legal system, firearms training, the use of force, lawful arrests, proper detention and the limits of officers’ authority,” Schwank told lawmakers.

Tuesday’s statement from DHS also referenced training standards.

“ICE training will now be extending to 72 days. The change, effective June 2, 2026, will apply to all new academy classes beginning July 1, 2026. All graduates of the previous academy curriculum will attend follow-on training at the Advanced Field Officer Training Program,” the agency said.