Leaked messages from within U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) — an agency that has become one of the most controversial arms of President Donald Trump's second term — revealed on Friday that many insiders are “happy” that the GOP received a heavy rebuke in the midterms. According to Anna Giaritelli, Homeland Security reporter at the Washington Examiner, “plenty” of ICE officers are hoping the election will result in accountability for the agency.

Trump's heavy-handed use of ICE to push his mass deportation agenda has grown increasingly unpopular over the past two years, particularly after he “surged” agents into Minnesota in January, resulting in the killing of protesters Renee Good and Alex Pretti. As sentiment against the agency has risen, so have calls for it to be reduced or even abolished. According to sources within the agency, however, many ICE agents are also hoping for change, and believe the Republican midterm defeat could bring it.

“Post-election text from tenured ICE source,” Giaritelli posted on X, adding that the source “and others have lamented to me that the new hires have inadequate training and [that] being assigned to the field with rookies is a liability for experienced officers.” She attached a screenshot of a message that read: “Please tell any of your WH/ICE leadership contacts that plenty of officers who are working the line are happy with the election results. They want complete accountability of the agency (from the local management level to HQ) and hope this will move toward a transformation of the agency. And many of us hope there will be a renewed push for Unionization.”

As the message suggests, many career ICE agents have been alarmed by the Trump administration's approach to its mass deportation efforts, which has involved flooding the ranks with new recruits that more seasoned officers say are not receiving adequate training. Many complain of being overworked and burned out, and describe an agency at its “breaking point” — a strain they say increases the danger for everyone involved.

According to a July report from the Washington Examiner, many ICE insiders assert that “morale is lower under President Donald Trump than it was during the Biden administration.” As one agent with more than a decade of experience explained, the Trump administration has managed to upset even agency employees who celebrated Trump's 2024 electoral win. “Many on the right will think this is an attack on Trump,” he said. “I voted for Trump this time around. I believe in immigration enforcement. But man, it's so disorganized and chaotic.” That a self-described Trump voter who supports immigration enforcement counts among the critics points to friction over how the agency is being run rather than over its mission itself.

Another agent was more blunt: “No one is happy. If you hear Tom Homan saying, ‘Morale's stronger than ever,’ I say, ‘No, it's not. No, it's not.’ I see it. I've been out in the field. I see it. I've seen senior officers quit.” Homan, who served as acting director of ICE during Trump's first term, now holds the White House border czar role in the administration's second term.

ICE employees were formerly represented by a union affiliated with the American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE), but the AFGE legally separated from the ICE union in July 2022. As the message from Giaritelli's source suggests, many officers are now hoping a new union can be formed to address poor working conditions.

Concerns about staffing quality extend beyond morale. Officers and supervisors hired prior to 2025 told the Examiner that new recruits being put on the street are underqualified and, in some cases, have not completed mandatory federal government background checks or been issued security clearances. “A supervisor with the fugitive operations unit expressed frustration at how many teams are filled with officers who haven't even cleared background and don't have a security clearance,” said one officer. “It's not safe.”

The leaked text puts specific items on the record — accountability reaching from local management to headquarters, a transformation of the agency, and a renewed unionization push. Whether agency leadership or the White House engages with those demands, and whether the concerns about rookie training, background checks, and security clearances are addressed, are the threads to watch following the midterm results.

This article is based on reporting originally published by Alternet.