ICE Recruits Fail Drug Tests, Background Checks Amid Rush to Expand Force

Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has been fast-tracking new recruits into training before completing background checks, a deeply troubling move tied to President Donald Trump’s mass deportation push. According to current and former Department of Homeland Security officials, the rush has resulted in unqualified and even dangerous individuals entering ICE’s ranks. “There is absolutely concern that some people are slipping through the cracks,” one DHS official admitted, calling the situation alarming given the agency’s role in enforcing immigration laws.

Reports reveal that recruits who hadn’t passed drug tests, undergone fingerprinting, or cleared background checks were admitted into ICE’s academy in Brunswick, Georgia. In one shocking case, a trainee was found to have previous charges of “strong-arm robbery and battery stemming from a domestic violence incident.” Others failed drug tests or had disqualifying criminal backgrounds. ICE’s hiring policy requires vetting before training, but the agency appears to be violating its own rules in the rush to meet the Trump administration’s goal of adding 10,000 new officers by year’s end. “They are trying to push everyone through, and the vetting process is not what it should be,” a former DHS official said.

In its desperation to fill ranks, ICE shortened its training program from 13 weeks to just six, raising concerns about inadequate preparation for officers entrusted with arrest powers. Nearly half of recruits have failed the basic written exams—even with open-book testing—while others have dropped out due to physical or medical unfitness. Former Baltimore field office director Darius Reeves described the chaos bluntly: “These new recruits are dropping like flies... We’re going to drop the age requirements, of course this was going to happen.”

Internal ICE data shows more than 200 recruits dismissed during training for failing to meet basic standards, including “criminal charges, failing drug tests or safety concerns.” Yet the agency’s HR office, overwhelmed with over 150,000 applicants after introducing $50,000 signing bonuses, continues to push candidates through. The situation exposes a dangerous erosion of hiring safeguards within a federal agency already under intense scrutiny. As one DHS insider warned, “What about the ones who don’t admit it?”—a chilling reminder of what could happen when the government’s enforcers are not properly vetted.

Link: NBCNews