The U.S. website’s new recruitment page features an image of Uncle Sam pointing and the message: “America has been invaded by criminals and predators. We need YOU to get them out.” It highlights the fact that a college degree is not required and mentions potential signing bonuses of up to $50,000 and student loan repayment assistance of $60,000.
These incentives are part of an extensive recruitment drive that is expected to take years to fully achieve its objectives. Republicans in Congress recently allocated $30 billion to ICE to facilitate increased deportations.
However, the Administration’s aim to increase ICE’s staff from 20,000 to 30,000 is facing several hurdles. These include the difficulty of finding qualified candidates who are also willing to reside in areas where ICE plans to deploy more agents.
John Sandweg, former acting director of ICE under the Obama administration, estimates that it will take three years before a noticeable increase in ICE agents is seen, which coincides with the end of the administration’s term.
To promote recruitment, ICE is participating in job fairs, visiting college campuses, and attending law enforcement recruiting events. Actor Dean Cain, known for his role as Superman in the 1990s, recently endorsed the recruitment effort by posting a video on X, announcing his honorary officer status with ICE. He stated his desire to support first responders in ensuring the safety of Americans.
ICE’s intensified recruitment efforts coincide with deportation and arrest rates falling short of the Administration’s goals to arrest 3,000 immigrants daily and deport 1 million people in Trump’s first year.
The Department of Homeland Security reported receiving over 80,000 applications in the first week of the new campaign. However, indications suggest that many applicants did not meet the agency’s criteria. Soon after, Homeland Security Secretary Noem announced the removal of age restrictions, now accepting applicants as young as 18 and older than 40. Previously, the age range was 21 to 37 or 40, depending on the position.
Trump’s top White House advisor on the border, Homan, stated on Aug. 6 that ICE was not experiencing recruitment issues and defended the elimination of age limits. Homan noted that individuals over 40 could fill various roles at ICE, including administrative or intelligence positions, even if they were unable to carry a badge and gun.
In late July, ICE emailed thousands of retired federal law enforcement agents with the subject line, “return to mission.” The email stated that retired officers could continue receiving their pension payments while earning a new paycheck from ICE.
The email emphasized the critical need for reinforcement at ICE and highlighted the value of their skills in achieving the agency’s goals. It framed returning to federal service with ICE as an honorable and essential service to the nation.
Sandweg considers this outreach to retired officers a “pretty creative solution,” as they require less training in areas such as firearm use. However, he notes that the number of retired agents is insufficient to fill all the available positions.
New hires require time to train on proper gun handling and arrest procedures. ICE agent training takes place at the Federal Law Enforcement Training Centers (FLETC) in Glynco, Georgia, creating a bottleneck due to limited instructors and training space.
Sandweg states that the administration aims to quickly deploy agents to increase arrests and deportations, but the process involves hiring, background checks, and training at FLETC. To address the bottleneck, DHS is planning smaller training centers nationwide, as announced by Secretary Noem on Aug. 8 in Lombard, Illinois. These centers would allow trainees to stay closer to their families during training.
ICE’s aggressive recruitment efforts are raising concerns among sheriffs nationwide, who fear that the agency’s attractive offers will attract local officers.
However, ICE’s recruitment challenge extends beyond training. Geography is also a factor. The Trump Administration aims to locate and arrest undocumented immigrants in Democratic-led cities like New York, Chicago, and Los Angeles. According to Muzaffar Chishti, a senior fellow at the Migration Policy Institute, it is more difficult for ICE to recruit law enforcement in these areas because local police departments already offer better pay.
Furthermore, ICE’s recent actions, such as making arrests at courthouses and workplaces, often while masked, have negatively impacted the public perception of the agency, particularly in those cities.
Chishti emphasizes that job seekers are not solely motivated by money, and factors such as location, job status perception, and how they are perceived in the job also play a significant role. These factors currently pose challenges for ICE.
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