ICE deportation officer says she reported detention conditions to a federal watchdog. Now she has lost her firearm authority and was put on leave

A 46-year-old ICE deportation officer assigned to the Miami Field Office in Stuart, Florida, said she reported concerns about detention conditions to the U.S. Office of Special Counsel. Lenicia Shannon told Newsweek she later lost her authority to carry a firearm and was placed on paid administrative leave.

Shannon said she used official whistleblower channels to raise issues about how detainees were held and how she was treated at work. She claimed ICE failed to adequately investigate complaints she filed with federal oversight bodies and then took steps she described as retaliation.

An ICE spokesperson told Newsweek, “In accordance with U.S. privacy laws, ICE does not publicly discuss the administrative matters of individual employees.” The agency did not confirm or deny Shannon’s claims.

Officer said workplace complaints began years before detention disclosures

Shannon said her dispute with the agency began in November 2022, when she filed an Equal Employment Opportunity complaint. She alleged discrimination, harassment, and a hostile work environment involving her then-supervisor and said the complaints centered on her treatment as a Black woman.

She said she first tried to address the issues inside ICE. Shannon noted that the anti-harassment policy required reporting to a supervisor, who she alleged was the person who had harassed her. After about 10 months, she said the agency transferred her out of that supervisor’s unit.

Emails obtained by Newsweek show that by early 2025, Shannon repeatedly asked management to intervene. She objected to reporting through her supervisor’s chain of command while EEO complaints remained pending and said the ongoing dispute was affecting her well-being and work environment.

In a June 2025 whistleblower disclosure, Shannon alleged that agency leadership repeatedly failed to address her concerns of discrimination, harassment, and a hostile work environment.

She also alleged that officials permitted her supervisor to serve in acting leadership positions despite pending EEO complaints involving him. This pattern of alleged retaliation against whistleblowers is not isolated, as ICE has reportedly quietly fired recruits after a whistleblower alleged agents were put on streets without knowing anything about their backgrounds.

Shannon said the supervisor hung an image in a communal workspace depicting a black lion surrounded by white sheep with blue eyes. She said she found the image offensive and intimidating. “That is intimidation,” Shannon said. “It makes me feel uncomfortable.”

In a June 29, 2025, OSC disclosure, Shannon alleged that ICE’s Miami Area of Responsibility had begun housing detainees overnight in temporary office space that lacked beds, showers, medical staff, and adequate emergency capabilities. She characterized the practice as an abuse of authority.

“The facility is only authorized for short-term temporary holding, yet now being used outside its intended and regulated purpose, placing both detainees and staff at risk of legal liability and risk,” Shannon wrote in one OSC disclosure. “It lacks the infrastructure and resources for overnight detention, placing both detainees and staff at significant risk.”

Another disclosure filed on September 28 alleged that detainees were being held beyond the expiration of ICE detainers and rebooked into custody under new holds. “It has come to my attention and direct observation that detainees, primarily female individuals, are routinely held in local custody for 72 hours or longer after the expiration of ICE detainers, in violation of federal law and established constitutional standards.”

The filings show Shannon reported several concerns. They do not establish whether OSC substantiated them. An ICE spokesperson said the agency is “committed to ensuring that all those in its custody reside in safe, secure, and humane environments under appropriate conditions of confinement.”

“I believe that people who violate the immigration laws, I have to deport them,” Shannon said. “But I don’t have to disrespect people and violate anybody’s rights doing it for statistics and for numbers.”

In a September 2025 email complaint, Shannon said that an ICE firearms instructor called her a “crazy b—-” and threatened to “let me have it” over a dispute. On September 24, 2025, ICE issued Shannon a Letter of Counseling citing workplace incidents that the agency characterized as disruptive or unprofessional. The document said it was not disciplinary action and would not be placed in her official personnel file. Shannon later described the counseling as retaliatory.

A fitness-for-duty letter reviewed by Newsweek said ICE sought medical information regarding Shannon’s ability to perform law-enforcement duties. Separate medical documentation from a healthcare provider later said Shannon was medically fit for duty without restrictions.

In a February 2026 retaliation complaint filed with OSC, Shannon argued that the counseling and fitness-for-duty process was initiated because she had reported misconduct through official channels. Internal agency records show that Shannon was placed on paid administrative leave on February 27, 2026, for what ICE called “allegations of misconduct.”

Shannon said the agency told her the action stemmed from allegations that she was combative, created a safety concern, and engaged in disruptive conduct during a February 26 reasonable-accommodation meeting. She denies those allegations.

Agency records show that ICE suspended her authority to carry agency-approved firearms and required her to surrender law-enforcement equipment. Her case comes as ICE faces scrutiny over detention conditions, such as when alleged poor conditions at a New Jersey ICE center triggered violent protests and a city lawsuit.

Records reviewed by Newsweek show that Shannon received multiple commendations during her six years with ICE, including a January 2023 commendation for border operations in Laredo, a May 2023 appreciation letter for a New Orleans assignment, a DHS leadership recognition letter, and a Director’s Award for Distinguished Service in 2023.

Shannon also alleged that federal personnel improperly monitored her devices and private communications. “They started repeating phone conversations of mine,” Shannon alleged. “Like if I would talk to my mom at home, somebody would come in and talk about something that we spoke about…and laugh in my face,” she added.

A July 2025 Port St. Lucie Police Department report documented her allegations but identified no suspect and found no evidence connecting any person to the reported incidents. An independent forensic review of Shannon’s phone found no spyware, malware, stalkerware, or unauthorized VPN.

Shannon, a breast cancer survivor who underwent surgery, chemotherapy, and radiation before joining ICE on a medical waiver, said, “My rights have been egregiously violated, and after fighting for my life, this agency and its racist practices are disturbing and illegal.”

“I worked really hard for this job,” she said. “I don’t think that these are the values and the morals and the integrity of the agency from where I started six years ago.”

Shannon alleged that Black women in the agency faced harsher consequences than male colleagues accused of more serious misconduct. “The sequence and disparity raise serious concerns that administrative allegations are being used as a mechanism to discredit the reporting officer,” she said, adding that the treatment sent “a chilling message to any employee who considers reporting misconduct, harassment, or discrimination within the agency.”