Federal officials tasked with implementing the Trump administration's mass deportation program faced an extraordinary campaign of intimidation inside the Department of Homeland Security during the final months of Kristi Noem's tenure and the arrival of her successor, according to interviews with more than three dozen current and former DHS officials.
Over the past four months, the Guardian spoke with officials who described a climate of fear driven by Trump loyalists in senior positions.
Career officials who raised concerns about possibly illegal acts were sidelined or removed, and some faced threats of termination or arrest to stop dissent.
Polygraph Examinations by Military Personnel
Several current and former officials claimed they were subjected to polygraph examinations conducted by US military personnel.
The officials told the Guardian that the examiners identified themselves as air force personnel being used to interrogate civilian employees of a separate federal agency.
The polygraph tests were ostensibly prompted by unspecified concerns about security clearances.
None of the former officials said they were shown the underlying allegations or given an opportunity to respond before being ordered to appear.
All said they believed the justification was fabricated and used to create a climate of fear.
Several former officials recalled being read their Miranda rights before questioning began, which strongly implied they could be arrested.
Employees received written notice that the examination was voluntary, but supervisors told them refusal could result in loss of security clearance and their job.
At least three former DHS officials described being escorted into small, windowless rooms and connected to polygraph equipment, including pulse monitors, sensors, blood-pressure cuffs, and chest bands.
They were instructed to face a blank wall while the examiner sat behind them, with a video camera recording from the corner.
Some examinations lasted as long as six hours, and several employees were required to return for additional sessions.
One official recalled the blood-pressure cuff remaining inflated for long stretches, causing her hand to turn bright red.
Another said they felt as though they were suffocating because they were forbidden from taking deep breaths.
Forced Reassignments and Culture Wars
For many, the examination was only the beginning.
Officials were ordered to report to offices in different parts of the country, often in roles for which they had no experience and at agencies with missions far removed from their own.
Employees were given only days to decide whether to accept the reassignment. Some resigned, others accepted buyouts, and a few remained.
Several current officials said they stayed not because they agreed with the department's direction, but due to personal reasons such as being primary providers for their families.
One senior DHS official described the decision as a daily moral compromise.
Ron Rosenberg, a former senior executive service leader at USCIS with more than 26 years of federal service, said political appointees repeatedly tried to push him out during Trump's first term through reassignment.
When that failed, officials attempted to relocate his position to another state, a move that would have required his family to uproot.
He threatened legal action, and the proposal was abandoned.
Rosenberg said the second Trump administration was fundamentally different.
Within weeks, career staff were being reassigned, offices were directed to remove pronouns from email signatures, and employees were instructed to take down signs identifying gender-inclusive bathrooms.
"Every day became another culture war issue," he said.
Harun Ahmed, a former deputy chief in the refugee affairs law division at USCIS who served nearly 17 years, said career officials found themselves under pressure to support policies they believed violated the spirit and purpose of the immigration system.
"They wanted employees to sign off on efforts even when we believed they were immoral, illegal or ahistorical," he said.
When the so-called Department of Government Efficiency, led by Elon Musk, offered buyouts, Ahmed reluctantly accepted.
Multiple officials said entire offices were dismantled, and oversight bodies were stripped of staff and authority.
The divisions responsible for refugee policy, asylum, humanitarian protections and family unity were among the hardest hit.
The practices have continued during the leadership transition to Markwayne Mullin, the current and former officials said.
Trump fired Noem in March 2026 amid bipartisan backlash following the killings of two American citizens by federal immigration agents in Minnesota and growing scrutiny over a $200m taxpayer-funded advertising campaign promoting her leadership.
In late March, the Senate confirmed Mullin, a Republican senator from Oklahoma, as the new DHS secretary in a 54-45 vote.
During his confirmation hearing, Mullin pledged to bring a steadier hand to the department.
However, advocates argue that changing the public relations approach does not fix the underlying operational reality.
"A desire to avoid bad press for cruel and harsh immigration enforcement is not a commitment to stop engaging in harsh and cruel practices and policies," said Dorothea Lay, a former senior USCIS attorney at DHS and current vice-president of policy at Jesuit Refugee Service/USA.
Several officials said Mullin lacks Noem's appetite for personal vendettas, and the CBP commissioner has attempted to bring back some of the staff she forced out.
But multiple current employees said nothing of substance has changed, and Mullin has little control over the climate of fear that persists.
