ICE Hiring Spree Compromised Standards, AP Investigation Reveals
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement embarked on an unprecedented hiring campaign to double its force, but an Associated Press investigation has found that sterling credentials were not always required, with some new officers starting work before passing full background checks and others having problematic pasts.
Questionable Backgrounds Among New Recruits
The backgrounds of several new ICE hires stand out for concerning reasons. One candidate had two bankruptcies and held six law enforcement jobs within three years. Another faced allegations of lying in a police report to justify a felony charge against an innocent woman, leading to a $75,000 settlement and criticism of his integrity. A third failed to graduate from a police academy initially and lasted only three weeks in his sole police officer role.
Their common bond: all were recently hired by ICE during a massive expansion effort. The agency received a $75 billion windfall from Congress to enact President Donald Trump's mass deportation campaign, leading to plans to hire 12,000 new officers and special agents. The emphasis on swift action resulted in rapid-fire recruitment, which in turn led to employees with questionable qualifications.
Scrutiny Following High-Profile Incidents
The backgrounds and training of these new hires have come under increased scrutiny after numerous incidents where ICE agents used excessive force. Claire Trickler-McNulty, who served as an ICE official across three administrations, warned that inadequate vetting creates higher risks of liability, abuse of power, and mission failure.
"If vetting is not done well and it's done too quickly, you have higher risk of increased liability to the agency because of bad actions, abuse of power and the lack of ability to properly carry out the mission because people don't know what they are doing," Trickler-McNulty said.
Mounting Evidence of Inadequate Vetting
While ICE claims most new hires are police and military veterans, evidence suggests applicants with questionable histories were either not fully vetted before hiring or were hired despite their past. The AP investigation focused on more than 40 officers who publicly announced their new ICE positions on LinkedIn, using public records to check backgrounds.
Most had conventional qualifications as former correctional officers, security guards, military veterans, or police officers. However, several had histories of unpaid debts resulting in legal action, two had filed for bankruptcy, and three others faced lawsuits alleging misconduct in prior law enforcement jobs.
Specific Cases Highlight Systemic Issues
Among the concerning hires is Carmine Gurliacci, 46, who resigned as a Georgia police officer to join ICE in Atlanta. He filed for bankruptcy twice, in 2013 and 2022, listing substantial debts including unpaid loans, bills, and child support. Between bankruptcies, he worked at six Georgia law enforcement agencies within three years, resigning from each before moving on.
Another new hire, Andrew Penland, 29, joined ICE after resigning as a Kansas sheriff's deputy. He previously faced a lawsuit alleging he arrested a woman on false allegations, with the county's insurer paying $75,000 to settle the case. The woman, June Bench, expressed outrage upon learning Penland had been hired by ICE, stating "He abuses his power."
A third recruit, Antonio Barrett, initially failed to graduate from a Colorado police academy and worked only three weeks as a police officer before resigning. He was also accused in a lawsuit of excessive force against a handcuffed inmate, though the case was dismissed.
Agency Response and Training Concerns
ICE's acting director, Todd Lyons, expressed pride in the hiring campaign during a February congressional hearing, noting it drew over 220,000 applications. The Department of Homeland Security acknowledged some applicants received "tentative selection letters" and began working temporarily before completing full background checks, emphasizing that "vetting is an ongoing process."
However, former ICE academy instructor Ryan Schwank testified that agency leaders cut training on use of force, firearms safety, and protester rights. He expressed concern about recruits as young as 18 without college degrees, warning that inadequate training leaves them unprepared to recognize illegal or inappropriate orders.
The hiring surge has strained the agency, which offered signing bonuses up to $50,000 and advertised that college degrees were not required. An internal memo instructed supervisors to refer "derogatory information" about new hires to internal affairs, including details about terminations or forced resignations.
Marshall Jones, a police recruiting expert at Florida Institute of Technology, noted that while outliers occur in any large hiring effort, the question remains whether these cases represent normal human variation or systemic challenges in proper vetting procedures.
