DHS Staffer Appeals Security Clearance Revocation After Email Error

The longtime employee was placed on leave after mistakenly including a journalist in an email about an ICE operation, raising concerns about disciplinary fairness within the administration.

A DHS staffer is appealing the revocation of her security clearance after accidentally emailing sensitive ICE operation details to a journalist in January 2025.
The email contained unclassified but sensitive information, including the timing and potential targets of the operation, which proceeded without disruption.
The journalist agreed not to disclose the information, and no operational harm resulted from the error.
Critics argue the administration is punishing career officials like the staffer more harshly than political appointees involved in similar or more severe breaches, citing a recent case of leaked war plans in Yemen.
The staffer, described as dedicated and apolitical, has served at DHS since the George W. Bush administration and faces potential termination if her appeal fails.