ICE begins quietly terminating recent hires amid flawed vetting process

Immigration and Customs Enforcement has quietly started firing a number of officers hired during its aggressive "Homeland Defenders" recruitment campaign, citing performance issues and overlooked red flags. The hiring surge, driven by a $50,000 signing bonus offered under the previous administration, overwhelmed the agency’s vetting capacity, leading to hires without fingerprints, identity verification, or credit checks, according to an August 2025 whistleblower letter to the DHS Office of Inspector General.

The agency’s rushed hiring and firing practices have produced severe consequences, including the suicide of Joseph Moore, a 38-year-old father of two, who killed himself after being notified he would be terminated. Two former ICE officers suggested that more thorough vetting could have averted the incident, noting the psychological toll of losing a law-enforcement career. The dismissals highlight ongoing challenges in balancing rapid recruitment with proper background screening.