Some Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) recruits have begun their training despite not being properly vetted, according to a new report.
NBC News detailed that the decision is unusual and shows the Trump administration's rush to fill ranks to carry out its immigration crackdown. It highlighted that some recruits have failed drug tests, have disqualifying criminal backgrounds or don't meet physical or academic standards to serve.
One recruit, for example, had been charged with strong-arm robbery and battery in the context of a domestic violence incident. Others had not submitted fingerprints for background checks, according to a Department of Homeland Security official.
Officials added that the process whereby recruits must undergo a drug test before they show up for training is not being applied as strictly as before the current hiring spree, which seeks to add 10,000 new officers before the year ends.
Ever since, ICE has dismissed over 200 recruits already in training for not meeting hiring requirements. 10 were dismissed for criminal charges, not passing drug tests or safety concerns. Most others didn't meet physical or academic standards.
"There is absolutely concern that some people are slipping through the cracks," a DHS official told the outlet, who added that most issues were flagged after recruits themselves admitted to them. "What about the ones who don't admit it?" the official added.
DHS told NBC News that most recruits are former law enforcement officers who go through a different process. "The figures you reference are not accurate and reflect a subset of candidates in initial basic academy classes," said spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin.
"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."
However, another report by The Atlantic noted that more than one in three new recruits are failing the agency's basic fitness test.
The test, administered at ICE's training academy in Brunswick, Georgia, requires recruits to complete 15 push-ups, 32 sit-ups, and a 1.5-mile run in under 14 minutes. Four ICE officials told the outlet that over a third of trainees have failed, prompting concern among senior staff about the physical readiness of incoming officers.
"It's pathetic," one longtime official told The Atlantic, adding that the agency had already relaxed standards to attract more applicants. An internal email obtained by the outlet described "a considerable amount of athletically allergic candidates" who had misrepresented their fitness levels on application forms. ICE operations official Ralph Ferguson wrote that the agency's "self-certification method has failed," directing field offices to pre-screen candidates before sending them to the academy.
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