Many critics of the Trump Administration's mass deportations policy are arguing that President Donald Trump and Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem are creating a dangerous situation by putting poorly trained U.S. Immigration and Enforcement (ICE) agents on the streets of U.S. cities. In an effort to ramp up deportations, they contend, Noem and border czar Tom Homan have significantly lowered ICE hiring standards. And journalist Laura Jedeed, in an article published by Slate on January 13, pointed to her own experience with ICE as an example.
Jedeed's article inspired an angry backlash from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS), which accused her of lying. But she proved that the allegations in her article were absolutely true.
Jedeed went undercover, applying for employment with ICE at a recruitment drive in Dallas. And the vetting process, she reported in Slate, was incredibly lax.
Jedeed, who said she was interviewed for only six minutes, wrote, "Many of ICE's critics worry that the agency is hoovering up pro-Trump thugs — January 6 insurrectionists, white nationalists, etc. — for a domestic security force loyal to the president. The truth, my experience suggests, is perhaps even scarier: ICE's recruitment push is so sloppy that the administration effectively has no idea who's joining the agency's ranks. We’re all, collectively, in the dark about whom the state is arming, tasking with the most sensitive of law enforcement work, and then sending into America’s streets. And we are all, collectively, discovering just how deadly of an arrangement that really is."
Jedeed's article was followed by an attack tweet from DHS, which tweeted, "This is such a lazy lie. This individual was NEVER offered a job at ICE. Applicants may receive a Tentative Selection Letter following their initial application and interview that is not a job offer. It just means they are invited to submit information for review, similar to any other applicant."
But Jedeed debunked DHS' claim that she was lying, posting the acceptance letter ICE sent her.
During a January 14 appearance on MS NOW, Jedeed told host Chris Jansing that ICE's hiring process is abysmal — and when they sent her an acceptance letter, they didn't realize she was a journalist who has been a scathing critic of Trump's deportation policy.
"The more you think about it," Jedeed told Jansing, "the worse it gets."
Laura Jedeed's full article for Slate is available at this link (subscription required).