ICE recruits in training had ineligible criminal backgrounds: report

KANIKA SINGH RATHORE,

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Immigration and Customs Enforcement one is flush with cash aggressive recruitment drive to meet donald trump Mass deportation agenda. But new recruitments have reportedly been made failing physical fitness requirements and entering training programs before the agency completes a background check or screening process.

ICE officials discovered that some recruits failed drug tests or had disqualifying criminal backgrounds while they were already enrolled in training, According to NBC News.

There has been a surge in hiring since the beginning of summer after the President’s approval $178 billion As the agency expands into one of the world’s most expensive police agencies, ICE has fired more than 200 new recruits while they were in training to meet requirements, according to agency data reviewed by NBC.

The outlet reported that most did not meet physical and academic standards – including failing open-book tests – while many were dismissed because of their criminal backgrounds or security concerns identified in background checks.

ICE has reportedly dismissed more than 200 new recruits since the recruitment process began this summer, with potential agents failing academic and physical fitness requirements as well as background checks.

ICE has reportedly dismissed more than 200 new recruits since the recruitment process began this summer, with potential agents failing academic and physical fitness requirements as well as background checks. ,getty images,

At least one recruiter at the agency’s training academy in Brunswick, Georgia, was previously charged with armed robbery and battery stemming from a domestic violence incident, according to a Homeland Security official who spoke to NBC.

Officials said many recruits had not submitted fingerprints or passed any background checks before entering the six-week training course.

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Deputy Secretary of Homeland Security Tricia McLaughlin claimed that the majority of the new recruits are former law enforcement officers who go through a different hiring process; Per ICE policy, applicants are required to pass a drug test and undergo security screening prior to entry into training.

McLaughlin said the figures from NBC’s report are “not accurate” and “reflect a subgroup of candidates in the initial basic academy classes.”

“The majority of the new officers brought in during the recruiting surge are experienced law enforcement officers who have already successfully completed the law enforcement academy,” he said. “This population is expected to constitute more than 85 percent of new hires. Pre-service hires follow streamlined verification but remain subject to medical, fitness and background requirements.”

Critics have warned that without adequate security and oversight, ICE's hiring process risks overwhelming the agency, which is already facing a wave of abuse allegations.

Critics have warned that without adequate security and oversight, ICE’s hiring process risks overwhelming the agency, which is already facing a wave of abuse allegations. ,reuters,

The Trump administration aims to hire 10,000 ICE agents by next year, or nearly double its footprint, with a big boost to the agency’s Enforcement and Removal Operations division.

Critics warn that achieving the target of 10,000 — Without adequate guardrails to vet future agents and know who is actually filling those roles — the government could open the door to repeating past mistakes, as ICE faces intense legal scrutiny over allegations of abuse and illegal use of force as Trump has dispatched federal officers to cities across the country.

Democratic Senator Dick Durbin wrote to Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem this week, “The relaxation of hiring standards and training requirements is unacceptable and is likely to lead to an increase in officer misconduct – similar to or worse than a small surge in the hiring of U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers in the early 2000s.”

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“Adding to our concerns, DHS has dismantled the offices responsible for overseeing ICE officers and ensuring accountability for use-of-force incidents,” he said. “Given these developments, greater congressional oversight of ICE appointments is necessary.”

to promote recruitmentHomeland Security offered a “maximum $50,000 signing bonus” and student loan forgiveness. DHS also removed age limit requirements, allowing people under the age of 18 to apply and opening up ICE to hiring people over the age of 40.

The training period at the federal law enforcement training center in Georgia was reduced from 13 weeks to eight – and then to six weeks.

Recruits must also pass a physical fitness test, which involves running 1.5 miles in less than 14 minutes and 25 seconds.

But dozens of new recruits were sent packing because they couldn’t pass the legal exam, which allows officers to use their books and notes for testing on the Immigration and Nationality Act and the Fourth Amendment.

Another group of recruits were dismissed due to medical problems or failing physical fitness requirements. “It’s pathetic,” told a career ICE officer Atlantic.

The federal government is already struggling to enroll physically fit personnel to join the ranks before Trump, with the military branches also routinely failing to meet recruiting targets.

A Pentagon study found that more than three-quarters of Americans between the ages of 17 and 24 were ineligible for service because they were overweight, unable to pass qualification tests, suffered from physical or mental health problems, or were rejected because of criminal records.

Uk