A journalist openly critical of former President Donald Trump and US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has ignited a major controversy after revealing she was effectively offered a job as a deportation officer following an interview that lasted less than six minutes.
The Unlikely Application Process
Laura Jedeed, a 38-year-old reporter for Slate and an army veteran with deployments to Afghanistan, attended an ICE Career Expo in Arlington, Texas, in August 2025. Her initial aim was to document the experience of applying to be an ICE agent. However, the process unfolded with startling speed and minimal scrutiny.
After a brief wait, her interview consisted of basic questions about her name, age, and military background. She was openly "anti-ICE" and believed her views and journalism would disqualify her upon a background check. Despite this, a recruiter told her they would "adjudicate" her resume and to expect a follow-up email.
From Tentative Offer to 'Entered on Duty'
On 3 September 2025, Jedeed received a tentative job offer via email, directing her to complete forms for a background check, including inquiries about domestic violence convictions. She states she intentionally did not submit any of this required paperwork.
Nevertheless, weeks later, she was asked to schedule a drug test. After checking the USAJobs government portal, she made a startling discovery. Her application status showed "Entered on Duty", indicating she had received a formal offer and start date despite the missing documentation.
"What I actually saw was so implausible, so impossible, that at first I did not understand what I was looking at," Jedeed wrote in her Slate article.
DHS Denial and Mounting Security Concerns
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS), which oversees ICE, has publicly labelled Jedeed's account a "lazy lie". In a statement on X on 14 January 2026, DHS insisted she was never offered a job, claiming the tentative letter was merely an invitation to continue the application process.
Jedeed forcefully rejected this, posting a video screengrab that appeared to show a final offer. Slate's spokesperson, Katie Rayford, stated the publication stands by its reporting, citing video evidence that Jedeed advanced beyond a tentative stage.
The incident has amplified existing worries about ICE's recruitment and vetting standards, particularly changes made during the Trump administration. Jedeed posed grave questions: "How many convicted domestic abusers are being given guns and sent into other people’s homes? How many people with ties to white supremacist organizations are indiscriminately targeting minorities?"
She told The Guardian the response from DHS showed a concerning priority: "It’s another example of how little they care about the safety of the American people they are allegedly protecting."
