ICE investigating agents for sharing social media posts promoting conspiracy theories about Omar

Two Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers are reportedly under review by the department for liking and sharing social media posts promoting a conspiracy theory about Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.), a department spokesperson confirmed to The Hill.

ABC News reported Saturday that a senior Homeland Security Investigations agent, Leslie Derewonko, shared a LinkedIn post with a video claiming Omar attended “terrorism classes.” 

“Hell just make her the Director of National Security, obviously she not only took TERRORIST classes, she sat in class WITH THEM,” Derewonko wrote in the post, which was screen-grabbed by ABC.{mosads} 

According to the outlet, San Francisco-based special agent Jerry Templet, liked the post, which was first reported by BuzzFeed News on Thursday. Templet is the second-in-command of Homeland Security investigations in San Francisco.

ABC reported that both agents have changed their LinkedIn accounts and removed their association with ICE from their profiles.

ICE does not have specific guidelines for what employees cannot share on social media, but told The Hill that it was reviewing the posts and could find that the agents violated the agency’s employee code of conduct or other department policies.

“Social media content posted by employees on their personal platforms should not be considered representative of agency policies or positions,” ICE spokesperson Jennifer Elzea told The Hill in a statement.

Derewonko had previously promoted anti-immigrant conspiracy theories on LinkedIn, according to ABC News, which reviewed his account’s posts going back several weeks before both officers altered their accounts.

Omar, one of the first two Muslim women to be elected to Congress, has been the target of several angry comments online.

Updated 7:45 p.m.