ICE launches recruiting campaign with $50K bonus — ‘Defend the Homeland’

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement is launching a new nationwide recruiting campaign, offering thousands of federal law enforcement jobs with generous pay and benefits. The campaign, backed by the Department of Homeland Security, calls on what it describes as “brave” Americans to help remove individuals in the country without legal permission with serious criminal records. 

ICE launches nationwide recruiting campaign

Ads include slogans like “Defend the Homeland” and feature images of President Donald Trump and Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem.

“Your country is calling you to serve at ICE. In the wake of the Biden administration’s failed immigration policies, your country needs dedicated men and women of ICE to get the worst of the worst criminals out of our country,” said Secretary Noem. “This is a defining moment in our nation’s history. Your skills, your experience, and your courage have never been more essential. Together, we must defend the homeland.”

Generous pay and benefits offered to new agents

To support the hiring effort, ICE is offering a signing bonus of up to $50,000, along with student loan assistance, enhanced retirement packages and additional pay for agents who work overtime or are on call.

These new employees will include deportation officers tasked with locating, apprehending and removing individuals the administration has determined are not authorized to stay in the U.S.

Deportation controversy

The Trump administration’s immigration push has garnered controversy, and ICE has become the public face of the policies. That includes protests in major cities across the country, lawsuits and proposed laws requiring ICE officers not to wear masks. 

Massive federal funding supports hiring surge

Earlier this month, Congress approved a massive spending package, known as the One Big Beautiful Bill, that includes $170 billion for immigration enforcement and border security. Of that amount, $45 billion is dedicated specifically to expanding immigration detention facilities. Officials plan to raise the daily detention population from about 41,500 to over 100,000, according to a report from Reuters.

Almost $30 billion is allocated to hire 10,000 additional staff members, helping the agency reach its target of one million deportations each year. 

Starting this week, recruitment ads will appear in major cities, on college campuses, at job fairs and through law enforcement networks, according to DHS.