Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) is rushing to fill thousands of positions — and it’s cutting corners that put public safety at risk.

According to recent reporting, ICE has allowed recruits to enter training before completing drug tests, fingerprinting, or even basic background checks.

Some were later discovered to have pending criminal charges, including domestic violence and robbery, or to be medically and physically unfit for duty.

Others failed written tests on constitutional law, or openly disclosed that they never completed ICE’s physical fitness requirements — yet they were sent to the academy anyway.

This isn’t a bureaucratic mistake. It’s a national security failure.

We call on the Department of Homeland Security Office of Inspector General, Congress, and federal oversight committees to:

• Launch a full investigation into ICE’s hiring surge and breakdowns in its vetting process;
• Halt all new ICE recruitments and training until every candidate is properly screened and cleared;
• Require DHS to report publicly on vetting standards, dismissals, and any recruits who were hired before completing background checks.

Hiring officers who may have violent criminal histories, failed drug tests, or no legal qualifications isn’t just negligent — it puts lives at risk and undermines the rule of law.

We don’t need a rushed surge of unvetted agents. We need qualified, accountable officers who uphold the values and standards this country is built on.

Sign this petition to demand a full investigation into ICE’s hiring failures — before unqualified officers are sent into our communities.

Photo: Ron Jenkins / Getty Images file