Exclusive: ICE Agent Alleges Retaliation After Whistleblower Complaint
The agent said she felt pushed out by DHS after raising multiple concerns about immigrant detention and her own treatment.
An Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agent claimed she was subjected to retaliation after reporting concerns about detention conditions and workplace behavior through official whistleblower channels. Lenicia Shannon, a 46-year-old deportation officer at ICE's Miami Field Office in Florida, alleged she reported discrimination, harassment, misconduct, and detention-related issues to the U.S. Office of Special Counsel (OSC), a federal watchdog protecting whistleblowers.
Shannon accused ICE of failing to investigate her complaints and retaliating by issuing a Letter of Counseling, referring her for fitness-for-duty evaluation, suspending her law-enforcement authority, and placing her on paid administrative leave. Despite receiving commendations earlier, Shannon said she faced these actions after filing multiple complaints over several months, including an EEO complaint in November 2022 alleging discrimination and harassment from her supervisor.
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