An Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agent told Newsweek she was effectively forced out of a job after reporting concerns about detention conditions and the way she was treated in the workplace through official whistleblower channels. Lenicia Shannon, a 46-year-old deportation officer assigned to ICE's Miami Field Office in Stuart, Florida, said she reported alleged discrimination, harassment, misconduct, and detention-related concerns to the U.S. Office of Special Counsel (OSC), an independent federal watchdog responsible for protecting federal whistleblowers and investigating retaliation complaints.
She accused ICE of failing to adequately investigate complaints she filed with federal oversight bodies, and said the agency subsequently retaliated by issuing a Letter of Counseling, referring her for a fitness-for-duty evaluation, suspending her law-enforcement authority, and ultimately placing her on paid administrative leave. ICE records provided by Shannon and reviewed by Newsweek showed that the agency later accused Shannon of disruptive and combative conduct during a February 2026 reasonable-accommodation meeting, allegations she denies. Other records reviewed show that, before those actions, Shannon received multiple commendations, leadership recognitions, and awards from the agency.
"When you report it, you become a target," Shannon told Newsweek in an interview. "You’re the victim, and they make you the adversary." When reached for comment on the allegations, a spokesperson for ICE 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. Shannon says she spent years filing complaints through multiple channels.
She says some went to OSC, while others were submitted to ICE's Office of Professional Responsibility and the Department of Homeland Security's Office of Inspector General. She said her dispute with the agency began in November 2022, when she filed an Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) complaint alleging discrimination, harassment and a hostile work environment involving her then-supervisor. She said her complaints centered on her treatment as a Black woman in the organization.
Shannon said she initially attempted to address the issues internally but believed ICE did not properly follow its procedures for handling workplace harassment. She noted that the anti-harassment policy required reporting to a supervisor, but noted that the supervisor was the person she alleged had harassed her. After approximately 10 months, she said the agency transferred her out of the supervisor's unit.
Emails obtained by Newsweek show that by early 2025, Shannon repeatedly asked management to intervene, objecting to reporting through her supervisor's chain of command while EEO complaints remained pending, and saying 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.
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