A man committed suicide after leaving ICE, claiming the agency hired people without background checks and is now quietly getting rid of them.

Joseph Moore committed suicide after learning he was about to be fired from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). A background check revealed problems in his past that could have hindered his career, writes The Washington Post.

Thirty-eight-year-old Joseph Moore dreamed of a career in law enforcement since he was a teenager. "Police is in my blood," he wrote to the leadership of a Pennsylvania town in 2020. "There's no other career for me."

However, he struggled to advance in the ranks. Two law enforcement agencies fired him, and others refused to hire him altogether before he landed a police job in a small town with limited career opportunities.

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That changed when U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement launched a massive hiring spree last year. The agency offered a $50,000 signing bonus—comparable to his previous annual salary. That fall, he was hired as a deportation officer, one of 12,000 new recruits who received job offers.

According to several former officials, hiring was so rapid that many new employees were sent to work without even undergoing a full background check. One source within the agency wrote in a memo to the Office of the Inspector General of the US Department of Homeland Security in August 2025 that the overburdened agency was hiring people without fingerprint checks or even identity verification.

However, three former Department of Homeland Security officials, speaking on condition of anonymity, said that in recent months the agency had begun quietly firing some of its newly hired employees. They cited troubling information about their backgrounds or poor performance as the reasons.

Moore's career

Joseph Moore grew up in a Philadelphia suburb. When he was 18, his mother reported him to the police for taking her car without permission. Moore later said that the conversation with the responding police officer inspired him to choose this profession. No charges were filed.

After high school, he enlisted in the Marine Corps and transferred to the reserves after five years. In 2014, Joseph graduated from the police academy and began working in small towns.

In 2018, a department launched an investigation into Moore after he arrested a prison warden during a dispute over an inmate. His family claims he acted with the permission of management when the warden refused to admit the inmate and prevented Joseph from leaving the facility. The dispute culminated in a lengthy court case and compensation for the warden. Moore's family claims no wrongdoing was found. Court documents indicate their son's actions were deemed "egregious" and he was asked to resign.

A few months later, he quit. His next police job also ended in dismissal—due to erroneous reports, unauthorized use of equipment, carrying an unauthorized weapon, and failing to appear in court for a drunk driving case.

In 2020, Joseph wrote that he couldn't imagine working any other job but law enforcement, and that losing it would be "absolutely devastating" for him and his family.

Mura was not restored.

He later filed lawsuits for wrongful dismissal, claiming he was persecuted for criticizing management's racist and sexist remarks. The authorities denied this and settled the case.

Despite his setbacks, Joseph continued to serve in the Marine Corps Reserve and achieved the rank of master sergeant. The Internal Revenue Service hired him as an investigator but subsequently fired him after an audit. A 2022 letter noted that Moore had not been forthcoming about his past.

He appealed the dismissal and lost.

By August of that year, Joseph had secured a part-time position with the Spring City police department, later becoming a full-time officer with a salary of approximately $50,000 per year. In 2025, the city celebrated his promotion with a small ceremony.

By the end of the year, he was offered a job at ICE.

Doubts about suitability

In Philadelphia, Moore hoped to start a new chapter.

"Everyone loved him," a colleague said. "He, like many of us, was just trying to learn a new job."

Some employees, including Joseph, were exempted from mandatory training and given only an online course. Another former employee noted that the training was superficial, and many completed it only as a formality, even though it covered real immigration law.

He called Moore a "wonderful father," but questioned whether his personality was suited to such service. For example, during one operation, he smashed a car window to get to the undocumented people inside, and later admitted he regretted using force.

The family maintains that Joseph acted legally and within the rules.

In May, the agency began to question his professional suitability. According to his family, he received a notice citing previous dismissals. He contested this decision.

Moore received his notice of dismissal without an in-person interview. All correspondence was conducted online and via email.

As a result, he was kept on the job for another three months.

On August 22, Joseph texted a colleague that he had been in a serious accident. A truck hit his car at approximately 40 mph (64 km/h). Firefighters extricated Moore from the vehicle. The police report stated that he entered the road improperly and was driving recklessly, but his family disputes this.

Joseph reported suffering a concussion, broken ribs, and other injuries. Management hadn't contacted him, and he worried he would be perceived as a problem employee.

"They took my ID and gun—as if I were a leper. There's no greater humiliation for a police officer," Moore wrote.

He feared being fired and was preparing an explanatory note. A friend advised him to go to court.

"I don't need a trial, I need a job. That's all I have," Joseph replied.

At the end of August, he was informed that he was going to be fired and was summoned to the agency's office in Philadelphia.

That day, he parked his car near the office and was armed. Police tried to stop him, but, according to Philadelphia police, Moore ultimately shot himself.

The death received little publicity outside the local ICE office. The city's medical examiner reported that a man named Joseph Moore died on August 28th as a suicide—a self-inflicted gunshot wound. Following inquiries from reporters, the agency informed its staff of his death via email and stated that the incident was under investigation.

Moore's family defended his professional reputation in a statement and expressed doubt that the death was a suicide. They later clarified that their concerns centered on the Philadelphia police's handling of a person in crisis.

"In the final minutes, Moore was on the phone with ICE officials," the statement reads. "The person was attempting to resolve the situation peacefully and believed he had been calmed down when officers surrounded Moore's car with their guns drawn."

A Philadelphia police spokesperson confirmed that the investigation determined that no officer opened fire. He said officers responded to a call about an armed man in distress and were attempting to de-escalate the situation. The man then "pulled a weapon and shot himself."

Two of Moore's former colleagues believe the tragedy could have been avoided if the agency had conducted a thorough investigation from the outset. They say it's difficult to determine the exact reasons for Moore's actions, but the agency placed him in an extremely vulnerable position—first hiring him, then firing him. In law enforcement, such a dismissal has a serious impact on future prospects. They believe Joseph Moore's employment history should have been investigated beforehand and he should not have been hired at all. However, he became attached to the job and wanted to stay.

"Once you're fired from law enforcement, it's extremely difficult to return—regardless of the reason," one of the interviewees noted. "It's effectively career-ending, and for some, it's a devastating blow."

"Even basic procedures were not followed."

ICE's massive recruitment spree began after Donald Trump signed the "Big Beautiful Act." The bill allocated billions of dollars to double the ICE workforce, from approximately 10,000 to 22,000. The agency held large-scale job fairs with World War II-era campaign posters, shortened basic training or eliminated it altogether, and waived the 40-year age requirement for applicants. The Department of Homeland Security reported that it received more than 220,000 applications in just a few months.

A former deportation officer said his unit in the south of the country grew to an unmanageable size between November and January. Whereas they'd previously hired one or two people at a time, they now hired 60 at a time. There weren't enough workstations or even toilets.

“People were literally sitting on top of each other, two or three people in nooks designed for one,” he stated.

After the inspector general's office announced a review of hiring practices, one of the department's leaders sent a memo warning that candidates were being hired without proper vetting.

The ICE website states that the background check is mandatory and includes interviews, criminal history, background checks, fingerprints, and credit checks.

A department spokesman said the rules were being followed and candidates could be granted temporary status to begin training until a full review was completed.

However, a source who managed a 100-person team in the department responsible for background checks said he had never seen such a rapid hiring process. Final offers were made even before the initial background checks were completed. Candidates were hired "without fingerprints, identity checks, or credit history."

He recommended a freeze on recruitment until standards were restored, but the process continued and he resigned in July of this year.

ICE said the current layoffs are routine.

"We hire the best to fight the most dangerous illegal criminals, including drug dealers, murderers, and pedophiles," the statement reads. "If an employee fails to meet standards, personnel decisions are made. This is common practice in most workplaces in the United States."

During the summer, tensions grew among employees due to unexpected layoffs.

One of Moore's colleagues said he himself was placed on leave, had his gun and ID confiscated, and was then fired, citing past problems that he said should have been identified earlier.

Another officer resigned. He said that instead of the "most dangerous" criminals, people with no criminal record were often arrested.

Moore's family said he was notified of his termination a day before his one-year anniversary with ICE and three days after filing for workers' compensation for the accident.

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Family members did not comment on his condition before his death or comment on possible agency liability, but only emphasized that Joseph was a decorated Marine with 12 years of law enforcement experience.

Former colleagues are certain that the agency should have immediately assessed Moore's biography and not hired him.

"Work is important, but not that important," one of them concluded. "People shouldn't die because of it."

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