Congressman Krishnamoorthi Demands Answers from Noem Following ICE Employee’s Arrest in Child-Solicitation Sting and Reports of Alarming Vetting Lapses

WASHINGTON – Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-IL) today sent a letter to Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem raising “serious concerns regarding recent reporting about lapses in U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) hiring and vetting processes,” concerns made “even more urgent by the arrest of an ICE agent in Bloomington, Minnesota, during a multi-agency sting targeting individuals attempting to solicit a minor at the Mall of America.” In the letter, Congressman Krishnamoorthi wrote that although “public information about the individual’s background remains incomplete,” the nature of the allegations “heightens longstanding questions about ICE’s capacity to ensure that its personnel meet the agency’s own requirements.”

Quoting ICE’s own standards, Congressman Krishnamoorthi noted that “personnel vetting involves assessing an individual’s background, character, and other pertinent factors to ascertain their suitability” and that “all positions require security vetting and drug test,” with law enforcement vetting taking an average of three months to complete. Yet, “multiple recent investigations have revealed that ICE has permitted recruits to appear for training… before all required vetting steps were finished.”

The congressman also cited reports that instructors have discovered “disqualifying information only after recruits had already begun training,” including issues that “should have prevented their entry into the academy.” Additional independent reporting suggests that ICE’s accelerated hiring strategy could lead to “catastrophic” outcomes if vetting lapses continue unaddressed. Congressman Krishnamoorthi noted the “findings raise fundamental questions about the consistency of ICE’s practices with its own publicly posted protocols, and whether systemic weaknesses, procedural shortcuts, or oversight gaps are undermining the integrity of the personnel-screening process.”

Congressman Krishnamoorthi requested a detailed response from Secretary Noem by December 10 to oversight concerns in five key areas:

1. The vetting steps completed for the Bloomington employee and whether required procedures were followed.
2. ICE’s criteria for allowing recruits to enter training when portions of vetting remain unfinished.
3. How often recruits have begun training prematurely in the past 11 months and what vetting gaps were involved.
4. ICE’s processes for verifying applicant information, identifying undisclosed allegations, or detecting falsified materials.
5. Systemic vulnerabilities, oversight mechanisms, and the role of contracted vetting firms in ensuring compliance with ICE’s own standards.

Congressman Krishnamoorthi underscored that the seriousness of the allegations requires a full accounting from DHS and immediate steps to restore confidence in ICE’s personnel-screening process.

The letter is available here.

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