ICE Hires Officers With Misconduct Records

PHOTO CAPTION: Immigration and Customs Enforcement recruits practice firing handguns during training at the Federal Law Enforcement Training Centers in Brunswick, Georgia, on August 21, 2025. A Washington Post investigation published November 10, 2026, identified at least 19 recently hired ICE officers with prior misconduct allegations, criminal charges or other employment warning signs. The trainees pictured are not identified as subjects of the investigation. (AP file photo by Fran Ruchalski.)

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement hired officers with histories of alleged misconduct, criminal charges and serious disciplinary problems, including a former Detroit police officer involved in the fatal shooting of a 19-year-old that resulted in a $2.5 million settlement.

A Washington Post investigation published Tuesday, November 10, examined the backgrounds of approximately 300 recently hired immigration officers and found at least 19 with potentially significant warning signs in their previous employment or criminal records.

Among those identified were officers previously fired from police departments, individuals involved in excessive-force allegations and a former detective who pleaded guilty to theft.

The findings raise questions about ICE's hiring standards during a massive federal recruitment campaign intended to expand immigration enforcement nationwide.

The Department of Homeland Security defended its screening procedures, saying officers undergo background reviews and can face employment consequences if they fail to meet agency standards.

Former Detroit Officer Involved in Fatal Shooting Later Joined ICE

One of the most serious cases identified in the investigation involves JeJuan Jetter, a former Detroit police officer.

In August 2021, Jetter was working undercover when a Dodge Charger reportedly lost control and collided with his unmarked police vehicle.

Several occupants attempted to flee, including 19-year-old Michael Contrell Adams III.

According to Jetter's account, Adams raised a handgun and ignored commands to stop.

Jetter opened fire, striking Adams, who later died at a hospital.

The shooting became the subject of a federal wrongful-death lawsuit.

Adams' family disputed the officer's account, including the allegation that Adams was armed.

Surveillance footage reviewed by the Washington Post showed shots being fired as Adams attempted to flee. The recording did not contain audio, limiting what could be established about commands given during the confrontation.

In 2024, Detroit agreed to a $2.5 million settlement with Adams' family.

A settlement resolves civil claims but does not itself establish criminal guilt or constitute a judicial finding that every allegation was true.

According to the Post's review of federal personnel records, Jetter subsequently joined ICE as a deportation officer in Detroit.

Previous Disciplinary Problems Were Also Documented

The fatal shooting was not the only incident in Jetter's police employment history.

Records reviewed by the Post identified several earlier disciplinary actions.

In 2018, he was suspended for using profane language toward his child's mother.

In 2019, he received another suspension after using a Taser on an individual who was already handcuffed.

In 2020, he was reprimanded for deliberately disabling an in-car camera while responding to a scene.

These incidents were documented before his reported employment with ICE.

Jetter did not respond to the newspaper's requests for comment.

DHS declined to discuss the individual allegations or confirm whether each named employee remains with the agency.

The case illustrates the central question raised by the investigation: how much weight should federal law enforcement hiring officials give to an applicant's prior disciplinary record, particularly when the position involves carrying firearms and exercising arrest authority?

At Least 19 Recruits Had Previous Warning Signs

The Post's investigation was based partly on a Department of Homeland Security personnel database that had been obtained and publicly exposed by hackers.

Reporters verified the database's authenticity with current and former federal officials and cross-referenced employee information against publicly available records.

The newspaper examined approximately 300 recent hires from a larger group of roughly 1,500 newly recruited ICE personnel identified in the data.

At least 19 had prior misconduct allegations, criminal charges or other employment concerns.

Of those identified, at least six had previously been fired, lost law enforcement certification or resigned under the threat of dismissal.

Five had been involved in use-of-force incidents, while five had been named in lawsuits that resulted in settlements.

The categories can overlap, so they should not be added together to produce a larger total.

The review was also not a complete audit of ICE's workforce.

Most of the names were selected randomly, but some were chosen after automated screening flagged potential concerns. As a result, the findings cannot be used to calculate a reliable misconduct rate for all ICE officers.

Former Detective Who Pleaded Guilty to Theft Was Hired

Another case involved Wojciech Czech, a former New York Police Department detective.

Czech was implicated in the theft of expensive champagne during the Electric Zoo music festival in New York City in September 2022.

According to the Manhattan District Attorney's Office, the incident involved bottles worth approximately $2,900 taken from a VIP area.

Czech subsequently pleaded guilty to petty larceny in August 2024.

His agreement required him to resign from the NYPD.

Despite that criminal case, federal records reviewed by the Post indicated that Czech was employed as an ICE deportation officer in Phoenix by January 2026.

The investigation also identified former Mississippi police Sgt. Joseph Joffrion, who had been involved in a confrontation with a civil rights activist holding a sign supporting homeless veterans.

During a subsequent deposition, Joffrion repeatedly said he could not recall what the First Amendment protected or the basic meaning of the Fourth Amendment.

Those constitutional protections are directly relevant to police interactions involving speech, searches and seizures.

Joffrion resigned from his local police department in December 2025 and was listed in federal records as working for ICE shortly afterward.

The Post also documented additional cases involving officers previously disciplined for excessive force, dishonesty or threatening behavior.

ICE's Rapid Hiring Expansion Faced Earlier Warnings

The newly identified cases follow months of concern about ICE's aggressive recruitment campaign.

The agency said it hired approximately 12,000 additional officers and agents during its expansion, supported by significant new federal funding.

Recruitment efforts included signing incentives reaching $50,000 for some applicants.

But the speed of hiring raised concerns within the agency.

Earlier investigations by Reuters and the Associated Press found that some recruits began working or training before their full background investigations had been completed.

An ICE official responsible for professional responsibility investigations warned in 2025 that the agency was bringing personnel aboard without completing certain preliminary checks, including fingerprinting and identity verification.

That complaint was subsequently made public.

The Department of Homeland Security inspector general has examined concerns surrounding ICE's hiring and training practices.

The November 10 investigation adds specific examples of individuals whose previous records may have warranted additional scrutiny before federal employment.

DHS Defends Its Background Checks

The Department of Homeland Security disputed suggestions that it had abandoned employee screening requirements.

In its response to the Washington Post, DHS said ICE's Office of Professional Responsibility applies established personnel-vetting regulations when reviewing applicants.

The department acknowledged that some recruits may receive temporary employment authorization while their full background investigations remain pending.

DHS said individuals who fail to satisfy its standards may face employment consequences.

The agency did not confirm whether all 19 officers identified by the newspaper remain employed.

Two of those officers separately told the Post that they no longer worked for ICE.

Past allegations do not automatically establish misconduct, and not every lawsuit, disciplinary complaint or financial problem legally disqualifies someone from federal law enforcement employment.

Nevertheless, the investigation raises questions about how the government evaluates applicants with documented histories of conduct that previously concerned other police agencies.

What Happens Next?

The new findings add to an ongoing debate about federal law enforcement recruitment, transparency and accountability.

Expanding an enforcement agency requires personnel, training and background investigations capable of handling thousands of additional employees.

The government must also determine whether previous disciplinary problems indicate an unacceptable risk or whether applicants remain eligible to serve after individual review.

DHS maintains that its screening process accounts for those considerations and that unsuitable employees can be removed.

But the Washington Post's findings suggest that some officers entered federal service despite significant warning signs in records maintained by their previous employers or courts.

The investigation does not establish that all 19 committed misconduct while employed by ICE.

It does establish that previously documented concerns about certain recruits existed before they joined the agency.

Whether federal hiring officials fully reviewed those histories, and whether additional personnel actions will follow, remains unclear.

(Source: OAF Nation)