Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem’s aggressive push to rapidly expand the ranks of Immigration and Customs Enforcement is drawing sharp criticism after new reports revealed that the department is accepting recruits who “can barely read or write,” fail open-book tests, or even carry pending criminal charges. The concerns come as Noem races to deliver 10,000 new deportation officers by year’s end — a goal insiders say has prompted DHS to cut corners across the hiring pipeline.
According to an investigation by the Daily Mail, DHS has widened the applicant pool by removing age limits and fast-tracking training, shrinking the academy program to just six weeks. One DHS official told the outlet that the process now sweeps in candidates who cannot complete basic written tests. “We have people failing open-book tests and we have folks that can barely read or write English,” the official said.
The report describes an overhaul so rushed that recruits are being shipped to ICE’s training academy in Georgia before their drug test results are returned — with some later testing positive. In one instance, a recruit asked to leave training to attend a court date for a gun charge. In another, a 469-pound man — whose own doctor deemed him unfit for any physical activity — was nonetheless enrolled.
An NBC News investigation last month uncovered similar lapses, reporting that some recruits failed drug tests or had disqualifying criminal backgrounds but were allowed to continue in training due to the hiring surge.
DHS spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin defended the department’s process, telling The Independent that the “vast majority” of incoming officers are experienced law enforcement professionals who have already completed prior academies. She said more than 175,000 applications have poured in from “patriotic Americans,” and that over 85 percent of new hires fall into the experienced category. “Prior-service hires follow streamlined validation but remain subject to medical, fitness, and background requirements,” she said.
Still, the scrutiny comes at a turbulent moment for ICE and DHS more broadly. A federal judge recently restricted immigration authorities in Chicago from using tear gas and riot-control weapons at protests unless facing an immediate threat — a rare blow to federal law enforcement’s discretionary power. And in Colorado, authorities are investigating an incident caught on video in late October in which an ICE agent placed a protester in a chokehold.
Taken together, the reports paint a picture of an agency under extraordinary political pressure to expand quickly, even as its practices draw legal challenges and public backlash. Whether Noem’s hiring blitz will ultimately strengthen ICE or saddle it with underprepared recruits remains an open question — but for now, the concerns from inside DHS suggest the cracks are already showing.
