DHS Polygraph Crackdowns & Elon Musk’s Expanding Government Power: The Making of an American Security State

We are at a turning point. If this isn’t exposed and resisted now, the department of homeland security will become a fully weaponized security state, and Musk will have more unchecked control over U.S. infrastructure than any unelected figure in history.

Photo by Markus Spiske / Unsplash

The Fear of a Loyalty Purge

“They said I had to take a test. That it would prove I was loyal. But the test didn’t measure truth—it measured fear. The wrong answer, a flicker of nervousness, and I could lose everything. My job. My home. My life.”

— Former East German government worker, recalling Stasi polygraph interrogations (Stasiland: Stories from behind the Berlin Wall).

“They didn’t need evidence. The machine said I was lying, so I was guilty. They told me if I confessed, things would be easier. I saw people disappear after those tests. I saw families destroyed.”

— Russian dissident on KGB loyalty tests (Gulag: A history).

This is the reality of polygraph purges in authoritarian states.

And now, it’s happening inside the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS).

Why this matters

DHS Secretary Kristi Noem is using polygraphs to hunt down whistleblowers.
This mirrors authoritarian purges in Russia, East Germany, and Turkey.
Mass deportations & internment camps become easier when dissent is silenced.
Elon Musk’s growing government contracts mean a private billionaire controls key U.S. infrastructure.

This is how autocracies secure power. And it’s happening now.

DHS’ Polygraph Purge: Silencing Internal Dissent

On March 11, 2025, NBC News reported that DHS Secretary Kristi Noem has begun administering polygraph tests to DHS employees, starting with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents. The goal? To hunt down employees leaking information about upcoming immigration raids.

Noem claims her “broad and extensive” DHS powers allow her to conduct these interrogations.
DHS employees fear the crackdown will expand beyond ICE, potentially affecting Customs and Border Protection (CBP), the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), and the Transportation Security Administration (TSA).
Employees are already “going dark,” refusing to talk to journalists out of fear of retribution.

This is a purge. Not of criminals. Not of spies. But of internal dissenters—the very people who might resist the next phase of mass deportations.

Polygraphs Are a Tool of Authoritarian Control

Polygraphs are scientifically unreliable—they aren’t admissible in court and have been debunked as an accurate way to detect lies (National Academy of Sciences, 2003).
Their real power is psychological. They are used to intimidate employees into silence.
Once ICE is purged of “unloyal” agents, mass raids can proceed with zero internal pushback.

This isn’t just an internal security measure—it’s a first step toward a fully loyal federal police force.

Historical Parallels: Purging Dissent in Authoritarian Regimes

DHS’ polygraph crackdown follows a well-established authoritarian playbook:

East Germany (Stasi): “Loyalty Tests” & Psychological Terror

The Stasi used interrogations, polygraphs, and surveillance to weed out internal critics.
Government employees were subjected to “loyalty tests”—if they failed, they were fired or imprisoned.

Russia (Putin’s Crackdown on Whistleblowers)

Putin criminalized leaks and forced government employees to sign loyalty oaths.
Anyone suspected of leaking state information faced prosecution.

Turkey (Erdoğan’s Purge of Civil Servants)

After a failed coup in 2016, Erdoğan fired over 100,000 public employees, accusing them of disloyalty.
Universities, hospitals, and civil service agencies were purged to ensure total loyalty.

DHS’ polygraph crackdown is following the exact same blueprint.

Once Trump has purged federal agencies of “unloyal” employees, he will have full control over DHS, ICE, and CBP—his deportation and surveillance apparatus.

The Bigger Picture: A Fully Loyal Security State

Step 1: Purge Federal Agencies of Whistleblowers & Internal Critics

Polygraphs, loyalty tests, and intimidation tactics eliminate resistance.
DHS, ICE, and CBP become fully obedient to Trump’s agenda.

Step 2: Expand Private Influence Over Government Infrastructure

Musk’s Starlink becomes critical to military, intelligence, and government operations.
A private billionaire can decide who gets access to essential services.

Step 3: Use the Security State to Enforce Trump’s Policies Without Resistance

Mass deportations, internment camps, and political crackdowns can be executed with no internal pushback.
Journalists and activists lose access to sources inside government agencies.

This is not just corruption. This is a transition to authoritarian rule.

Reader Reflection Questions: What Happens Next?

If DHS purges all employees who might resist authoritarian orders, who will remain to uphold the law?
If Musk controls military communications infrastructure, who decides what the government has access to?
If whistleblowers are silenced, how will the public ever know what’s happening inside government agencies?

These are not abstract questions. They are unfolding in real time.

Resistance & Counter-Narratives

Expose This as an Authoritarian Purge

This isn’t about “security”—it’s about hunting down dissenters and silencing leaks.
The Stasi & Putin parallels must be made clear—Americans need to understand what’s happening.

Support DHS Whistleblowers

Organizations like the Government Accountability Project and ACLU must protect whistleblowers.
Anonymous leaks must continue through secure channels such as SecureDrop to expose what’s happening inside DHS.

Push Back Against Polygraph Abuse

Polygraphs are junk science and should not be used to root out “disloyalty.”
Studies from the National Academy of Sciences and the American Psychological Association confirm polygraphs are unreliable.

Highlight the Elon Musk Power Grab

Starlink contracts with the U.S. government must be scrutinized heavily.
No private citizen should have the power to cut off military communications.

We are at a turning point.

If this isn’t exposed and resisted now, DHS will become a fully weaponized security state, and Musk will have more unchecked control over U.S. infrastructure than any unelected figure in history.

Sources

Applebaum, A. (2003). Gulag: A history. Anchor Books.
Funder, A. (2004). Stasiland: Stories from behind the Berlin Wall. Harper Perennial.
National Academy of Sciences. (2003). The polygraph and lie detection. The National Academies Press.
NBC News. (2025, March 11). DHS polygraph crackdown raises alarm among whistleblowers. Retrieved from NBCNews.com