Kristi Noem Reportedly Warned DHS Employees She’s Going to Start Polygraphing Them Over Leaking to the Media
Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem told employees under her leadership they will be soon subject to polygraph tests asking about whether or not they have leaked to the media, reported Bloomberg News on Tuesday.
Bloomberg’s Homeland Security reporter Ellen Gilmer scooped the news and reported that “Noem last week issued an internal directive that all polygraphs the Department of Homeland Security administers must include a question about unauthorized communications with media and nonprofit organizations, according to a memo described to Bloomberg Government by two people without authorization to speak publicly.”
Gilmer’s report comes as President Donald Trump’s mass deportation program has yet to yield the results he is looking for. The Washington Post reported over the weekend that “despite the rapid infusion of resources, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement is struggling to arrest higher numbers of immigrants and falling far short of the administration’s goals.”
The Post noted that ICE had also stopped publicly reporting its deportation numbers. “ICE arrests have sagged so far this month, according to data provided by the Department of Homeland Security, declining from about 800 per day in late January after Trump took office to fewer than 600 during the first 13 days of February. The administration has stopped publishing daily numbers, and Trump officials said they will release the data on a monthly basis to conserve resources. It is a level well below the Trump administration’s goal of 1,200 to 1,500 arrests per day,” noted the Post.
Noem’s polygraph push followed her claim of the “deleterious effects” of leaks on ICE enforcement. Gilmer reported that Noem said, “DHS components that have polygraph programs may use them to assess whether personnel can have initial or continued access to classified information and whether they’re eligible to hold a sensitive position.”
Noem posted to X in mid-February, “The FBI is so corrupt. We will work with any and every agency to stop leaks and prosecute these crooked deep state agents to the fullest extent of the law.” Her post was in response to an LA Times article titled, “Leaked document says ‘large scale’ immigration enforcement action coming soon to LA.”
DHS spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin defended the use of polygraphs at the department, saying, “DHS is a national security agency. As such, it should and will polygraph personnel.”
