The Department of Homeland Security has begun performing polygraph tests on employees to determine who might be leaking information to the media about immigration operations, according to four sources familiar with the practice. The department’s plans to perform these tests was first reported by Bloomberg Government.
A spokesperson for DHS did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Border czar Tom Homan and Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem have blamed lower-than-expected ICE arrest numbers on recent leaks revealing the cities where it planned to conduct operations.
In a video posted on X Friday, Noem said, “We have identified two leakers of information here at the Department of Homeland Security who have been telling individuals about our operations and putting law enforcement lives in jeopardy. We plan to prosecute these two individuals and hold them accountable for what they’ve done.”
It was not clear if those two employees Noem referred to had been identified through a polygraph test. It’s also not clear how many employees have been polygraphed or may face polygraph tests, but sources said the employees asked to take the tests so far have been in different agencies across DHS.
Polygraphs at the department are not new and have been used in the past, such as when Customs and Border Protection is screening new hires. But according to the sources familiar with the current use of polygraphs, the so-called lie detector machines are now being used to ask employees across the agency specific questions about leaking classified documents or sensitive law enforcement information on ICE operations.
