With $75 Billion Boost, ICE Launches Aggressive Recruitment Campaign

Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) announced on Tuesday that the agency has received over 100,000 applications in less than two weeks. The statement was released only a day after The New York Times reported that immigrant detainees in ICE custody had reached a “modern record” high of 60,000 people. 

President Donald Trump signed the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA) on July 4, which appropriated nearly $75 billion to increase ICE’s capacity to detain immigrants and conduct immigration-related arrests—making ICE the highest-funded law enforcement agency in the country. With this funding, the Trump administration plans to reach its stated goal of deporting 1 million undocumented immigrants a year and reach an unprecedented quota of 3,000 immigrant arrests per day. 

To keep up with these demands, ICE has launched an aggressive recruitment campaign—bankrolled by the nearly $30 billion from the OBBBA appropriated for hiring—and seeks to add 10,000 officers to the agency’s more than 20,000 law enforcement and support personnel by 2029. To meet this end, Uncle Sam has been repurposed by ICE to recruit “patriotic Americans” to apply. The agency has also sweetened the deal by offering high starting salaries—some can reach $90,000—a maximum $50,000 signing bonus over three years, up to $60,000 in federal student loan repayments, and retirement benefits. 

Last week, the agency also announced it was ending the age limitations for applicants—previously set between 21 and 37 or 40 years old, depending on the position—and began reaching out to retired federal law enforcement agents. The ICE recruitment website has a specific page dedicated to those who wish to “return to mission,” encouraging retirees to apply for ICE openings and “secure our communities and uphold our laws” during a “pivotal moment in our country’s history.” Selected retired federal law enforcement officers may also receive a salary from ICE while still collecting their pension. 

Some speculate that the change to age limits and other policies means that ICE is having a hard time finding qualified applicants. But Tom Homan, the White House border czar, defended the move. “There are a lot of roles at ICE for people who are over 40,” he told Time magazine. “Just because someone comes in and they’re 55—maybe they can’t carry a badge and a gun, they can certainly do administrative duty, they can do targeting on the intelligence team.” 

John Sandweg, acting director of ICE under the Obama administration, told Time that recruiting from retired federal law enforcement was a “pretty creative solution” to quickly fill thousands of openings and get boots on the ground. Retired law enforcement officers won’t need as much training as fresh recruits, who take much longer to hire, undergo a background check, receive security clearances, and get trained at Federal Law Enforcement Training Centers with limited capacity. 

ICE recruitment efforts have also targeted active local law enforcement officers. At the end of July, ICE sent recruitment emails to Florida law enforcement seeking “officers like you who are committed to serving with integrity, professionalism, and a deep sense of duty,” reports CNN. The recruitment effort angered local sheriffs who previously agreed to partner with ICE on deportation efforts and are unable to match the hiring benefits offered by the agency. 

Despite the heavy-handed recruitment efforts, Sandweg told Time that it will likely take “three years before you see a significant increase of ICE agents on the street.”

But even without a noticeable increase in active ICE agents, the Trump administration has been able to detain a record-high number of people—most of whom are nonviolent immigrants—by using methods that have violated due process and civil rights. Several lawsuits challenging ICE arrest tactics and detention center policies have subsequently been filed. Increasing ICE law enforcement and personnel from 20,000 to 30,000 people will only perpetuate these abuses.

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