Noem Directs Polygraph Use to Target Homeland Security Leaks (1)

Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem warned employees that polygraph tests will be used to help crack down on leaks that agency officials say have foiled immigration enforcement plans.

Noem last week issued an internal directive that all polygraphs the Department of Homeland Security administers must include a question about unauthorized communications with media and nonprofit organizations, according to a memo described to Bloomberg Government by two people without authorization to speak publicly.

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Noem cited the “deleterious effects” of leaks on border and interior immigration enforcement and said DHS components that have polygraph programs may use them to assess whether personnel can have initial or continued access to classified information, and whether they’re eligible to hold a sensitive position.

“DHS is a national security agency,” spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin said in an email to Bloomberg Government. “As such, it should and will polygraph personnel.”

US Customs and Border Protection is the primary user of polygraphs within DHS, as federal law requires the agency to use the examinations for all law enforcement positions.

Noem and White House border czar Tom Homan have blamed alleged leaks for disrupting planned immigration enforcement operations in Colorado and California over the past month.

Noem’s directive is part of a broader crackdown by DHS on employees’ external communications amid workforce and policy upheavals since President Donald Trump took office last month. The Federal Emergency Management Agency over the weekend announced a new prohibition on media contact without prior authorization from senior officials.

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Critics of polygraphs have questioned the reliability of the tests, which, for example, are often considered inadmissible in court proceedings. Republican lawmakers have pushed to eliminate the polygraph requirement for Border Patrol applicants, noting a high failure rate.