Kristi Noem, the Homeland Security Secretary, has revealed her intention to increase the use of lie detector tests on staff members to identify any potential individuals leaking information to the press.
In a recent statement made in Washington, D.C., Noem disclosed the appointment of new leadership within the immigration enforcement agency and emphasized her commitment to intensifying lie detector examinations to pinpoint employees responsible for divulging operational details to the media.
During an appearance on CBS’ “Face the Nation,” Noem emphasized, “I have a wide range of powers within the Department of Homeland Security, and I am determined to utilize each one to ensure compliance with the law, adherence to safety protocols, and fulfillment of the commitments made by President Trump.”
While these polygraph exams are typically not admissible in court proceedings, they are frequently used by federal law enforcement agencies and for national security clearances.
“The Department of Homeland Security is a national security agency,” DHS spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin said in a statement. “We can, should, and will polygraph personnel.”
White House officials have previously expressed frustration with the pace of deportations, blaming it in part on recent leaks revealing cities where authorities planned to conduct operations.
Noem announcement of two new leadership appointments within the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement comes less than two months into the Trump administration and demonstrates the importance that the administration places on carrying out the president’s deportation agenda.
Todd Lyons, the former assistant director of field operations for the agency’s enforcement arm, will serve as acting ICE director. Madison Sheahan, secretary of the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries and Noem’s former aide when she was governor of South Dakota, has been tapped to be the agency’s deputy director.
The leadership changes come after ICE’s acting director was reassigned on Feb. 21. Two other top immigration enforcement officials were reassigned Feb. 11. Those staffing changes came amid frustrations in the Trump administration about the pace of immigration arrests.
Noem also announced on Friday that the agency has identified and planned to prosecute two “leakers of information.”
On Sunday, she said these two people “were leaking our enforcement operations that we had planned and were going to conduct in several cities and exposed vulnerabilities.” She said they could face up to 10 years in federal prison.
