Maine shooting and officer's background raise new questions about ICE's rapid hiring

By — Rebecca Santana, Associated Press Rebecca Santana, Associated Press Leave your feedback Share Copy URL https://www.pbs.org/newshour/nation/maine-shooting-and-officers-background-raise-new-questions-about-ices-rapid-hiring Email Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Pinterest Tumblr Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Maine shooting and officer's background raise new questions about ICE's rapid hiring Nation Jul 17, 2026 10:50 AM EDT WASHINGTON (AP) — Immigration and Customs Enforcement has been rapidly expanding its workforce, hiring thousands of new officers as part of the Trump administration's attempt to ramp up immigration arrests and deportations. The supersizing of ICE -- fueled by an infusion of billions of dollars granted by Congress — has raised concerns about the agency's hiring practices and whether officers being brought on are receiving proper vetting. Those concerns have been rejected by the Department of Homeland Security. Educate your inbox Subscribe to Here’s the Deal, our politics newsletter for analysis you won’t find anywhere else. Relatives of the ICE officer who shot a Colombian man in Maine this week told The Associated Press he struggled with serious mental health issues since early childhood and never should have been given a badge and gun to patrol American streets. READ MORE: AP report: ICE officer in Maine shooting has history of violent behavior, family and records say The precise circumstances surrounding the officer's hiring were not immediately clear. But the revelations about the man, David Brouillette, shine a new spotlight on ICE's hiring spree and the Trump administration's immigration crackdown. Here is a look at the agency's hiring and training practices: A surge in new hires at ICE In January, Homeland Security said it had hired 12,000 new officers and agents since the hiring surge began and said thousands of those new officers were already out on the streets assisting with investigations. The number includes both deportation officers and agents for Homeland Security Investigations, a separate agency that falls under ICE. ICE has said the majority of new hires are police and military veterans. But evidence has been mounting that applicants with questionable histories were either not fully vetted before they were brought on or were hired in spite of their past, an investigation by The Associated Press earlier this year found. WATCH: As ICE boosts recruitment, critics concerned over changes to hiring and training standards At the time, Homeland Security, ICE's parent agency, would not answer questions about specific hiring decisions. It did say some applicants received "tentative selection letters" and offers to begin working on a temporary status before they had been subjected to full background checks. It defended its hiring practices, saying it does rigorous vetting. ICE's former acting director, Todd Lyons, said during a congressional hearing in February that he was proud of the hiring campaign, which drew more th