Democrats ask Noem for ICE recruitment data after agency lowers hiring standards

Watch Democrats ask Noem for ICE recruitment data after agency lowers hiring standards - Straight Arrow News on Dailymotion

Transcript

00:00Flashy advertisements, $50,000 signing bonuses, and a fast-track training program.

00:09Joining ICE has never been easier or more lucrative.

00:12They have a president who has their back.

00:14Some Democrats in Congress are concerned the agency isn't getting the best of the best.

00:18You know, there's some cowboys among them.

00:20So are ICE's new standards making the agency better?

00:25ICE is actively recruiting across the country.

00:27To get new officers hired quickly, Republicans approved funding in the one big, beautiful bill for more overtime,

00:34higher salaries, enhanced retirement benefits, and, of course, the signing bonuses.

00:39Senator Dick Durbin is concerned some ICE hiring tactics are bringing in recruits who are not as well-trained.

00:44I'm very concerned that people are jumping in a $50,000 bonus.

00:49Would I take a job in a county in Illinois for $50,000?

00:53You know, the fact is it's an incentive for people to sign up who may not have a good record.

00:59Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem waived age limits.

01:03Previously, new hires had to be between 21 and 40 years old.

01:07ICE also removed requirements to speak Spanish and shorten the training program by five weeks.

01:12Durbin is concerned the lower standards will lead to officer misconduct.

01:16He wrote a letter to Noem asking for recruitment data.

01:18Who are these people that she's hiring who wear the uniforms without any name tag, who wear masks as they go into the neighborhoods of Chicago?

01:27ICE announced that more than 80,000 people applied to join in the first week of the recruitment campaign that began in August.

01:34The agency frequently highlights arrests of those in the country illegally who are either charged or already convicted of crimes.

01:42Well, my understanding is there's been an unprecedented number of people wanting to go to work for ICE.

01:49And there's been actually a restored sense of morale at the Border Patrol and all of our immigration enforcement officials.

01:57They finally know that they have a president who has their back and who will let them do their job, unlike the previous administration.

02:04So the concern is that you're not necessarily getting the best of the best to go after the worst of the worst?

02:08I'm not concerned that somehow they won't be properly trained or incapable of performing their job.

02:15But not all Republicans are on board with the new standards.

02:18Well, I think in a world where we're rightfully trying to increase training requirements and fitness requirements in the DOD,

02:26the last thing we should be doing is going in the opposite direction.

02:29I'm Ray Bogan for Straight Hour News.

02:31For more unbiased reporting straight from our nation's capital, download the SAN app.