Senior DHS Official Fired Over Media Leaks as Court Upholds Noem’s Authority
A senior Customs and Border Protection official has been terminated following an internal investigation that concluded the individual unlawfully leaked sensitive information to the media, including personal details of CBP personnel and internal deliberations tied to border wall negotiations.
According to officials familiar with the matter, the unnamed employee was removed from their Washington, D.C., office and escorted out of the building. The Department of Homeland Security and CBP have not publicly identified the individual or released a detailed account of the investigation’s findings.
Sources indicated the disclosures involved “sensitive, personal information about CBP personnel, as well as negotiations regarding the border wall.” DHS officials reportedly determined that the leak posed a potential threat to agent safety at a time when federal law enforcement has faced a marked increase in nationwide threats.
The dismissal highlights growing alarm within DHS over data security breaches and unauthorized contacts with the press—concerns sharpened by a series of leak-related incidents over the past year involving immigration enforcement operations. While some cases have involved whistleblower claims or accidental disclosures, officials emphasized that this removal stemmed from intentional media engagement that violated agency policy.
Federal employees who handle restricted or sensitive but unclassified information are governed by strict statutes and internal rules regulating data protection and external communications. Breaches can result in penalties ranging from suspension to termination, and in extreme cases, criminal referral.
The firing comes amid heightened scrutiny of immigration and border enforcement agencies as they implement policy changes under President Donald J. Trump’s current administration and navigate ongoing litigation.
In a separate development Friday, a federal appeals court in San Francisco granted a stay allowing DHS Secretary Kristi Noem to proceed with ending Temporary Protected Status for immigrants from Nepal, Honduras, and Nicaragua—delivering a significant legal victory for the administration.
The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, often viewed as one of the most liberal circuits in the country, froze a lower court ruling that had blocked Noem’s action. The panel concluded the government was likely to prevail in demonstrating that DHS followed lawful procedures in terminating TPS.
“The government is likely to prevail in its argument that the Secretary’s decision-making process in terminating TPS for Honduras, Nicaragua, and Nepal was not arbitrary and capricious,” the court wrote.
The order overturns a December 2025 ruling from a San Francisco district court that sided with plaintiffs affiliated with the National TPS Alliance. That decision had temporarily extended protections for roughly 60,000 migrants who received TPS after natural disasters in their home countries.
Attorney General Pam Bondi welcomed the Ninth Circuit’s move, calling it a “crucial legal win” for President Trump’s immigration agenda. “This is a crucial legal win from @TheJusticeDept attorneys that helps clear the way for President Trump’s continued deportations,” Bondi said. “As the court found, the government is likely to prevail in its argument that ending Temporary Protected Status for some immigrants is sound and lawful policy.”
Secretary Noem’s decision to terminate TPS was based on statutory requirements mandating periodic review of whether emergency conditions still justify temporary protections. Nepal received TPS following a 2015 earthquake, while Honduras and Nicaragua were designated after Hurricane Mitch in 1999. DHS determined last year that conditions in all three countries had stabilized enough to warrant ending the program.
Noem’s spokesperson, Tricia McLaughlin, has consistently argued that the designation “was always meant to be temporary.”
The three-judge panel—Michael Hawkins, appointed by Bill Clinton; Consuelo Callahan, appointed by George W. Bush; and Eric Miller, appointed by Donald Trump—issued a split opinion. Hawkins concurred in the outcome, citing recent Supreme Court precedent while cautioning against resolving the plaintiffs’ claims prematurely.
The ruling effectively clears the path for DHS to resume deportations that had been stalled for years by litigation and administrative extensions. It also bolsters the administration’s broader enforcement posture, including the recent Operation Metro Surge drawdown in Minneapolis and continued border security reforms under Noem’s leadership.