ICE Hiring Opps Who Can Barely Read, Allegedly
According to a new investigative report, the major push by Immmigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to hire new officers has led to them allegedly lowering their recruitment standards. The result has led to a cohort that includes people who can “barely read or write” as well as those physically unfit and some with criminal records.
The hiring blitz, spurred by Senior White House Aide Stephen Miller and the Department of Homeland Security, has led to 12,000 officers hired in less than a year. “The good news is that thanks to a bill President [Donald] Trump signed, we have an additional 12,000 ICE officers and agents on the ground across the country,” DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin announced in a Jan. 3 statement. “That’s a 120% increase in our workforce, and that’s in just about four months.”
But sources close to DHS and ICE have expressed major concerns about the fitness of the applicants, particularly after ICE lowered its minimum age to 18 and raised its age cap from 40 to 65. “We have people failing open-book tests and we have folks that can barely read or write English,” one DHS official told the Daily Mail, adding: “We even had a 469-lb man sent to the academy whose own doctor certified him not at all fit for any physical activity.” They also revealed that there’s been applicants who have failed drug testing.
Other staff members at the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center in Brunswick, Georgia, revealed more shocking details, such as discovering applicants with tattoos associated with gangs and white supremacist groups. One applicant was arrested by county police after assaulting a FLETC bus driver, and others have faced internal discipline after allegations of sexual misconduct and incidents of violence. The report states that 584 recruits flunked the training since July 1, as opposed to 558 graduating successfully.
An aide to Democratic Senator Gary Peters of Michigan has called out DHS and ICE about their statements and vetting process, with an aide stating that a briefing request has been ignored so far. “Given growing concerns about ICE personnel’s recent conduct and failures to meet prior professional standards,” the aide said to Military.com, “Senator Peters remains concerned this rapid hiring push could repeat past mistakes tied to lowered standards and inadequate preparation.”
ICE Hiring Opps Who Can Barely Read, Allegedly was originally published on hiphopwired.com
