The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has confirmed reports that the federal agency is planning to conduct lie detector tests in order to identify the source of recent leaks.
It comes after DHS Secretary Kristi Noem reportedly warned employees that polygraph tests will be used to combat potential leaks.
The DHS chief was responding after it became clear that agency officials are leaking details about the location of upcoming illegal immigration raids.
Last week, Noem issued an internal directive stating polygraphs administered by DHS must include a question about unauthorized communication with media outlets and nonprofits.
The memo was first revealed in a report by Bloomberg Government.
DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin shared Bloomberg’s story on X.
McLaughlin wrote in a caption that the department is a national security agency.
She confirmed that DHS “can, should, and will polygraph personnel.”
The DHS main account also reposted McLaughlin’s post, adding further confirmation to the plans.
The social media posts come after someone leaked information about Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) raids last week before they took place.
the leaks derailed attempts at removing illegal aliens in Aurora, Colorado, and Los Angeles.
President Donald Trump’s border czar Tom Homan previously said the leak could only have come from someone on the inside.
“We think it’s coming from inside,” Homan said last week on Fox News’s “Hannity.”
“And we know the first leak in Aurora is under current investigation.
“We think we’ve identified that person.”
The leaked information reportedly allowed members of the bloodthirsty Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua to evade capture.
During their raids, federal agents encountered mostly empty apartments and buildings after the violent criminals fled.
However, the operation still resulted in the detainment of about 30 people.
Noem, on the other hand, accused the “corrupt” FBI of leaking information about the ICE operation in LA.
DHS currently administers polygraph exams during the hiring process for U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers and agents.
The tests help to determine “suitability for employment” and “in support of internal and counterintelligence investigations,” according to the agency’s website.
On a webpage explaining why it administers polygraph exams to CBP applicants, DHS said:
“The federal government uses the polygraph exam to understand an applicant’s past behavior, personal connections, and personal integrity.
“Almost every Border Patrol Agent, Customs and Border Protection Officer, and Air and Marine Operations Agent who has joined CBP has taken, and passed, a Polygraph Exam.”
DHS does not normally require that others employed by the agency take polygraph exams.
