The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has denied claims that Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) is facing about 10,000 Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) complaints.
The allegation was first published in a Substack article by The Punch Up, which cited an account attributed to a former law enforcement officer and suggested that ICE was dealing with a large volume of internal EEO complaints. EEO complaints are formal allegations filed by employees or job applicants claiming discrimination in hiring, promotion or workplace treatment based on protected characteristics such as age, race, sex, disability or religion.
“This is FALSE. ICE is NOT facing 10,000 EEO complaints,” a DHS spokesperson told Newsweek on Tuesday.
DHS is responsible for overseeing component agencies like ICE.
A 68-year-old retired Ohio police officer said he was accepted, trained and later removed from an ICE hiring process after being told he was “too old,” according to The Punch Up.
The man, identified only as Doug, said he was later informed by two DHS officials that the agency was dealing with roughly 10,000 related EEO claims, though officials did not specify how many involved age discrimination.
Doug had applied for a deportation officer role following a reported policy shift that temporarily lifted ICE’s upper age limit for recruits and was later notified he would not be retained after completing training, according to the report.
His assignment first was shifted to Indianapolis, then back to Atlanta the day before he was scheduled to start, leaving insufficient time to relocate, according to The Punch Up. ICE later postponed his start date to October 20, and he said he was sworn in and began a virtual training course through the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center while completing coursework and manuals.
Days before the new start date, ICE postponed onboarding again, then sent a one-paragraph email rescinding the offer, saying he did not meet the age requirement, according to the report. He said he received no compensation for training time and later filed EEO complaints against ICE and DHS seeking reinstatement or back pay. He also said an EEO official told him the agency was handling thousands of similar cases and raised questions about whether the age cap had actually been lifted.
“I feel a lot of resentment, because in good faith, I did all of this for nothing,” Doug told The Punch Up.
The DHS spokesperson said: “While DHS has expressed its intent to broaden opportunities for experienced law enforcement professionals, current Office of Personnel Management (OPM) policy only allows law enforcement officers (LEOs) to serve in rigorous positions until age 60.
“However, ICE has received a temporary four-year waiver from OPM, which permits reemployed Federal Employees Retirement System (FERS) annuitants to serve in these positions up to age 65. This waiver is strictly limited to reemployed annuitants and does not apply to new hires above the age of 65.
“Applicants may receive a Tentative Selection Letter following their initial application and interview. Additionally, individuals may receive an offer of temporary status to begin training pending a full background investigation.
“ICE is committed to ensuring its law enforcement personnel are held to the highest standards and rigorously vets them throughout the hiring process. Vetting is an ongoing process, not a one-time occurrence. This dedication to the quality of our workforce has been instrumental in preventing unqualified or unsuitable candidates from being entrusted with law enforcement responsibilities.”
ICE has expanded rapidly under the Trump administration, adding roughly 12,000 new agents as enforcement operations have increased, according to DHS. The growth followed additional funding approved under the One Big Beautiful Bill Act. The expansion has also drawn increased scrutiny of the agency’s training standards, supervision practices and internal accountability systems.
DHS previously said it has removed the age cap for new applicants, allowing people as young as 18 to apply. Previously, applicants were required to be between 21 and 37 or 40, depending on the position. The training includes obstacle courses, hand-to-hand combat and firearms training.
The recruitment drive took place during the tenure of then-Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, who oversaw a wide push to expand hiring within ICE. Noem was fired from the role by President Donald Trump, who tapped former Senator Markwayne Mullin to take the reins.
Former Superman actor Dean Cain appeared in a DHS public relations campaign in August, promoting a policy change that announced the removal of the age cap for ICE roles. DHS said at the time that “qualified candidates” could apply with “no age limit,” marking a shift from the prior mandatory retirement age of 60 for ICE officers.
DHS told Newsweek in January that “many of ICE’s new recruits are former law enforcement officers.”
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