A journalist has exposed the seemingly relaxed recruitment process for ICE officers.
One might assume that obtaining a government job in America entails a rigorous selection process, but Laura Jedeed quickly discovered otherwise.
In August, Jedeed attended the Immigration and Customs Enforcement Career Expo in Texas, which she noted was notably underattended. Her intention was to learn how to apply to become an ICE agent. Unexpectedly, she found herself sharing her resumé with one of the recruiters.
Jedeed’s background included enlisting in the Army immediately after high school and serving two deployments to Afghanistan with the 82nd Airborne Division, which initially put her in a favorable position.
However, her resumé conspicuously omitted her current profession as a journalist.
Despite this omission, Jedeed believed her recruitment process would not progress far, as a simple online search of her name would clearly indicate her critical views on the Trump administration and its approach to American issues.
In the initial stages of the hiring process, Jedeed met with a woman who asked a few basic questions, such as her military background and her preferred posting location if she were to join ICE.
After a brief six-minute conversation, she proceeded to speak with a deportation officer regarding job opportunities, as she detailed in an article for Slate Magazine.
By September 3, Jedeed received an email indicating she had already been given a tentative offer from ICE.
The email requested her to complete several forms, including a Declaration for Federal Employment, provide her driver’s license for ID verification, consent to a background check, among other requirements.
“If you are declining the position, it is not necessary to complete the action items listed below,” the email stated.
Assuming she had missed the deadline for submitting the forms, Jedeed decided not to send them. However, she was surprised to receive another email thanking her for confirming her interest in proceeding with the hiring process.
The subsequent email requested her to undergo a pre-employment drug test, which posed a dilemma since she had recently used cannabis, legal in New York where she resides.
She opted to take the test anyway but anticipated negative results, which never arrived.
Without knowing the result of her drug test, Jedeed logged onto USAJobs, discovering an ICE job offer. This offer came despite her not completing any required paperwork, including the background check, and her anticipated failed drug test.
“By all appearances, I was a deportation officer,” she noted in her Slate Magazine article. “Without a single signature on agency paperwork, ICE had officially hired me.”
She added, “Perhaps, if I’d accepted, they would have demanded my pre-employment paperwork, done a basic screening, realized their mistake, and fired me immediately.”
Ultimately, Jedeed declined the offer.
Requests for comment from ICE have been made.