一份举报材料显示，负责美国移民与海关执法局（ICE）新人背景审查的一名官员，去年警告该机构正在对新雇员的审查流程走捷径。
这份文件隐去了该官员姓名，他此前担任移民与海关执法局职业责任办公室主管。2025年8月，正值ICE大规模扩招特工之际，他向国土安全部监察长办公室提交了这份举报诉状。美国广播公司从举报人的代理律师手中拿到诉状副本。
诉状写道：“备忘录记述的系统性违规行为，直接违反联邦法律、国土安全部指令以及国家安全政策。刻意绕过人员审查与安全许可流程，使国土安全部面临内部人员威胁、外部势力渗透以及声誉受损的巨大风险。”
该官员披露，机构甚至在人事安全部门尚未开展初步审查前，就向求职者发出正式录用通知。申请人无需采集指纹、身份核验、征信核查，便可拿到有利的“初步合格认定”。
“其结果是招聘审查标准出现历史性下滑，为快速招人而舍弃必要风险防控。这会造成制度漏洞，极易遭到对手渗透、内部人员泄密和恶意利用。”这名官员写道。
这位前官员还指控：“国土安全部部分政治任命人员，没有完成规定背景调查，就获得国家安全准入资格。”诉状以国土安全部前高级顾问科里·莱万多夫斯基为例，称其存在多项负面调查结论，本就不适合担任联邦公职，也不应获得国家安全权限。
“但这些调查结论被无视，最终给出了不合规的安全许可。”文件写道。
莱万多夫斯基的发言人暂未回复美国广播公司的采访请求。2026年3月，时任国土安全部长克里斯蒂·诺姆被特朗普解职前，莱万多夫斯基实际充当其办公室主任。
该官员总结，审查流程违规带来的主要风险包括国家安全隐患、内部人员泄密，以及公众对机构信任度崩塌。
举报人的代理律师凯文·欧文在声明中表示，当事人随即遭到国土安全部打击报复。
“他受到审讯，无端面临刑事指控的威胁，被停职超过十个月。”欧文说。
“既没有告知当事人存在失职过错，也没有给出停职的正当理由。在国土安全部的施压与不公对待之下，当事人只能选择提前退休。”
国土安全部回应称，不会对已经离职人员的相关事宜作出评论。
国土安全部发言人表示：“移民与海关执法局职业责任办公室严格执行人员审查相关法规，落实国家安全准则，针对每一位申请人，都会依据全部相关信息开展评估。”
举报人的律师补充，尽管国土安全部已经纠正部分危害极大的审查漏洞，但大量未经完整审查的特工仍在岗履职。
“我们敦促国土安全部全面复核所有审查程序不合规的ICE人员，确认其是否符合任职标准；在完成正规安全许可前，将这批人员调离一线岗位。”欧文说道。
国土安全部发言人透露，ICE特工培训周期将由原来的42天延长至72天。
ICE whistleblower alleged agency was shortcutting vetting process for new hires
An official who oversaw the vetting of Immigration and Customs Enforcement recruits warned last year that the agency was shortcutting vetting procedures for new hires， according to a whistleblower complaint．
The official， whose name was redacted in the document， previously served as unit chief for ICE＇s Office of Professional Responsibility． The complaint， submitted to the Department of Homeland Security＇s Office of Inspector General in August 2025， was filed as the agency wasramping up hiringof ICE agents．
ABC News obtained a copy of the complaint from the whistleblower＇s attorney．
＂The systematic failures， detailed in this memorandum， constitute a direct violation of federal law， DHS directives， and national security policies，＂ the complaint states． ＂The deliberate circumvention of personnel vetting and clearance procedures has placed DHS at grave risk of insider threats， infiltration， and reputational harm．＂
The official wrote that the agency was issuing final job offers ＂prior to any preliminary vetting by the personnel security division．＂ The complaint also states that applicants were being granted favorable ＂preliminary suitability determinations without fingerprinting， identity verification， or credit checks．＂
＂The result is a historic lowering of vetting standards where proper risk mitigation is sacrificed to onboard personnel quickly，＂ the official wrote． ＂This creates a systematic vulnerability to infiltration， insider threats， and exploitation by adversaries．＂
The former official also alleged that ＂political appointees within DHS have been granted national security eligibility without undergoing the required background investigations．＂ The complaint citedCorey Lewandowski， a former senior adviser to DHS， as an example， alleging he was ＂the subject of derogatory findings that should＇ve rendered him both unsuitable for federal service and ineligible for national security eligibility．＂
＂These findings were disregarded， resulting in an improper clearance determination，＂ the official wrote．
A spokesperson for Lewandowski did not immediately respond to ABC News＇ request for comment． Lewandowski served as a de facto chief of staff for former DHS Secretary Kristi Noem until she was fired by President Donald Trump in March 2026．
The official concluded that the primary risks from improper vetting include national security threats， insider compromise and the erosion of public trust in the agency．
In a statement to ABC News， Kevin Owen， the attorney representing the whistleblower， said his client was ＂met with immediate retaliation by DHS．＂
＂He was interrogated， unjustifiably threatened with criminal charges， and placed on leave for over ten months，＂ Owen said．
＂Our client was never presented with any allegations of misconduct or wrongdoing， nor was there any explanation of a valid reason for his exclusion from the workplace，＂ Owen said． ＂Faced with this stress and mistreatment by DHS， our client chose to retire early．＂
DHS said the agency ＂does not comment on matters regarding personnel who are no longer with the agency．＂
“TheICEOffice of ProfessionalResponsibilitydiligently applies the proper personnel vetting regulations， including guidelines fornational security，andevaluates all available information foreveryapplicantbased on these factors，＂ a spokesperson for DHS said in a statement to ABC News．
The whistleblower＇s attorney added that while DHS has ＂reversed its course on some of the most dangerous lapses in the vetting process，＂ many improperly vetted agents remain on duty．
＂We urge DHS to initiate a review of all ICE officers who were not properly verified to ensure they meet suitability standards， and to remove these unvetted officers from active duty until they appropriately receive clearance，＂ Owen said．
The DHS spokesperson said ICE training will now be extended to 72 days from 42 days．
