Six-hour polygraphs, forced reassignments: inside homeland security’s campaign of fear

‘In the past year-and-a-half, entire offices were dismantled, and oversight bodies were stripped of staff and authority.’ Composite: Rita Liu/The Guardian/Getty Images

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, a Guardian investigation found.

Over the past four months, the Guardian spoke with more than three dozen current and former Department of Homeland Security officials who described a climate of fear driven by Trump loyalists in senior positions, who sidelined or removed career officials who raised concerns about possibly illegal acts, and threatened termination or arrest in order to stop dissent. Several have also claimed they were subjected to polygraph examinations conducted by US military personnel.