Slate journalist Laura Jedeed has described how she was offered a position with US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) after an interview lasting less than six minutes, without completing any formal paperwork. Jedeed, who is openly critical of Donald Trump and identifies as 'anti-ICE', attended an ICE Career Expo in Arlington, Texas, in August 2025, intending to investigate the hiring process.
During the interview, a recruiter asked only basic questions: her name, date of birth, age, military or law enforcement experience, and reasons for leaving the armed forces. Jedeed, a former US army paratrooper who served two tours in Afghanistan, was told to expect an email with further instructions. She later received a 'tentative offer' on 3 September, directing her to complete forms including a domestic violence affidavit and background check authorisation.
Jedeed claims she did not submit any of the required documents but still received an email three weeks later asking her to schedule a drug test. Despite having used cannabis six days before the test, she proceeded. Checking her application on the USAJobs portal, she discovered her status was listed as 'Entered on Duty', indicating a formal job offer had been made.
Jedeed turned down the offer, suggesting it may have been a technical error but arguing it highlights serious flaws in ICE's recruitment process. 'If they missed the fact that I was an anti-ICE journalist who didn't fill out her paperwork, what else might they be missing?' she wrote. The Department of Homeland Security has disputed her account, calling it a 'lie'.
