The Central Intelligence Agency is the latest federal agency to be hit by the Trump administration’s wave of layoffs as it looks to shrink the government.
The CIA moved to fire its probationary employees, or those who were hired within the last two years. The news of the firings comes from a New York Times report, which cited three people familiar with the information.
According to that report, CIA officers who are still considered probationary employees are being called to off-site locations, fired, and then forced to surrender their badges to security personnel.
It’s not clear at this time how many officers have been let go already or how many will be fired overall. Still, the sources shared in the report that not all recent hires and probationary employees will be laid off.
The moves come after a judge cleared the way for CIA Director John Ratcliffe to fire employees at will after a lawsuit in the Eastern District of Virginia challenged the director’s ability.
Judge Anthony J. Trenga ruled in the suit that was brought by CIA officers who were assigned to diversity and recruiting efforts under the Biden administration. After Trump removed DEI programs, they were released from the agency.
In his ruling, Trenga gave Ratcliffe the power to remove any CIA officer for any reason while also revoking their right to appeal their removal.
A spokeswoman for the department confirmed that officers hired in the past two years have been fired after they were summoned to a location away from CIA headquarters in Langley, Virginia.
The Times reported that because of the firings, some agency employees are finding themselves hesitant to answer the phone over fear they might be let go next.
While the spokesperson said that most employees being cut are those who joined the CIA within the last two years, other officials have claimed they are solely performance based.