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Slate smear fails: DHS torpedoes anti-Trump agitator's 'lazy lie' about infiltrating ICE
Slate magazine published a hit piece by an anti-Trump propagandist on Tuesday suggesting that U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement does such a poor job of screening applicants that "trigger-happy" criminals — or even subversive Antifa apologists — could find themselves with badges."A few months ago, ICE hired me," Laura Jedeed, the self-identified "anti-ICE journalist" behind the piece, noted in a summary of her article on X. "I didn't sign and submit any paperwork. I'm real outspoken about my opinion of the Trump administration, and I am extremely googlable[.] And yet, there it was, in plain English. 'Welcome to ICE!'"'ICE had officially hired me.'Liberal rags such as the Guardian and Democracy Now! rushed to amplify Jedeed's tale, along with her suggestion that if she made it through the recruitment process, then pedophiles, rapists, white supremacists, and other unsavory characters might similarly be securing ICE jobs.The Department of Homeland Security stated, however, that the Slate article's core claim was "a lazy lie."This response was met in turn with a community note on X casting doubt on the agency's denial.After corresponding with both parties, Blaze News learned that contrary to the 38-year-old leftist's suggestion, ICE neither hired Jedeed nor sent her a final offer.In her article, Jedeed claimed she spoke to a recruiter and submitted her resume at an ICE career expo in Texas last August, working under the presumption that her time serving in the Army's 82nd Airborne Division, her repeat deployments to Afghanistan, and her civilian analyst work might "tantalize a recruiter for America's Gestapo-in-waiting."RELATED: Trump threatens Insurrection Act after ambushed ICE agent shoots illegal alien: 'Put an end to the travesty' Photo by Mostafa Bassim/Anadolu via Getty ImagesJedeed indicated that on Sept. 3, she received a tentative offer instructing her to log on to USAJobs, fill out a declaration for federal employment, and submit several documents, including driver's license information, an affidavit that she never received a domestic violence conviction, and a form consenting to a background check.'I never received an emailed final offer.'Despite supposedly doing "exactly none of these things," she allegedly received an email three weeks later indicating that she had confirmed her intention to continue with the hiring process and asking her to complete a pre-employment drug test.The leftist suggested that she subsequently traveled to her local LabCorp, underwent a drug test with THC potentially coursing through her system, and then — nine days later — discovered that "ICE had apparently offered me a job.""According to the application portal, my pre-employment activities remained pending. And yet, it also showed that I had accepted a final job offer and that my onboarding status was 'EOD' — Entered On Duty, the start of an enlistment period," she wrote. "I moused over the exclamation mark next to 'Onboarding' and a helpful pop-up appeared. 'Your EOD has occurred. Welcome to ICE!'"In a video Jedeed shared online, the ICE recruitment portal appears to indicate that she was in the fifth and final stage of onboarding for the role of deportation officer, despite indications that she not yet completed the drug or physical fitness tests. The video also appears to show the ICE portal state welcome Jedeed to ICE and specify that her EOD was on Sept. 30."By all appearances, I was a deportation officer. Without a single signature on agency paperwork, ICE had officially hired me," Jedeed wrote. "Perhaps, if I’d accepted, they would have demanded my pre-employment paperwork, done a basic screening, realized their mistake, and fired me immediately."While the DHS did not comment on the authenticity of Jedeed's video, a spokesperson told Blaze News, "This individual was NEVER offered a job at ICE. Applicants may receive a Tentative Selection Letter following their initial application and interview that is not a job offer."The agency's careers page states that "following receipt of a tentative selection letter, you must complete per-employment requirements. These requirements vary by position. All positions require security vetting and drug test. You may also be required to pass a medical exam, fitness exam and oral board interview."The page notes further that "a tentative selection letter remains tentative until all pre-employment requirements are met for the position."RELATED: Blocking ICE with 'micro-intifada': Good's group taught de-arrest, cop-car chaos before her death Photographer: Victor J. Blue/Bloomberg via Getty Images When asked about the DHS statement to Blaze News, Jedeed said, "I did not receive a final offer, nor did I accept one."Jedeed noted in a follow-up email, "To clarify: I did not receive a final offer in the mail.""I never received an emailed final offer — the portal indicated that I had already accepted that offer, as you can see from the screen capture posted on X," she wrote.When asked whether she suspected or had any reason to believe that the system would have barred her from proceeding upon hitting the accept button, Jedeed told Blaze News:I do not know what would have happened had I hit that accept button on the ICE portal. It's possible they would have asked for the paperwork — I certainly hope so. But the fact I already had an EOD date before filling out paperwork which the tentative job offer described as mandatory for proceeding to the next phase of the hiring process (final offer, onboarding), and the fact that my background check showed up as completed, are reasons for concern.While she was not hired, did not receive a final offer, and has conceded that perhaps what she experienced on the ICE recruitment portal was "some kind of computer glitch," Jedeed nevertheless suggested in her Slate piece that her recruitment experience is indicative of a broader problem at the agency — a problem that set the stage for Renee Nicole Good's death."How are we to trust ICE's allegedly thorough investigations of the people they detain and deport when they can't even keep their HR paperwork straight?" Jedeed wrote. "And if they're not going to screen me out, what hope is there of figuring out which recruit might one day turn into a trigger-happy agent who would forget that law enforcement officers are trained not to stand in front of vehicles, get jumpy, and shoot a 37-year-old woman to death on the streets of Minneapolis?"Jedeed, like her fellow travelers in the media, neglected to mention that Good — whom Jedeed claimed was murdered — was shot while driving her SUV into an ICE agent after ignoring multiple lawful orders and interrupting a federal law enforcement operation.Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!
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