ICE Hiring Surge Faces Challenges as Recruits Struggle with Basic Requirements
Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) is experiencing difficulties with a recent surge in hiring, with a significant number of new recruits failing to meet basic requirements for the position, according to current and former Department of Homeland Security (DHS) officials. These issues and specific data have not been previously reported.
The agency is under pressure from the White House to increase staffing levels, utilizing funding allocated through a tax and spending bill signed into law on July 4th. ICE has frequently fallen short of a White House goal of 3,000 arrests per day, citing insufficient manpower.
to accelerate hiring, ICE has shortened training at the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center (FLETC) in Georgia, initially from 13 weeks to eight, and later to six weeks. Recruits are required to attest they can pass a physical fitness test including sit-ups,pull-ups,and a 1.5-mile run completed in under 14 minutes and 25 seconds.
However, Darius Reeves, former ICE field office director in Baltimore, believes the agency’s decision on August 6th to waive age limits for recruits has contributed to a higher failure rate on the physical fitness test. “These new recruits are dropping like flies,” Reeves stated, adding that lowering age requirements would logically lead to more recruits struggling with the physical demands.
Data indicates that nearly half of new recruits arriving at FLETC over the past three months have been sent home due to failing a written exam. This exam assesses knowledge of the Immigration and Nationality Act and the Fourth Amendment, allowing recruits to consult textbooks and notes.
A slightly smaller number were dismissed for failing the physical fitness test or due to medical issues. Some recruits were sent to training despite disclosing on thier applications that they could not meet the physical requirements. Fewer than 10 recruits were dismissed after ICE discovered pending criminal charges, failed drug tests, or other safety concerns during training.
The agency’s human resources office is currently overwhelmed with over 150,000 applications received since the introduction of $50,000 signing bonuses in August. Officials believe the rush to process applicants is contributing to inadequate vetting.
“They are trying to push everyone through,and the vetting process is not what it should be,” said one former DHS official. A current DHS official compared the pressure on HR employees to “asking them to pull a rabbit out of a hat.”
