The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Kristi Noem announced on Tuesday (September 16th) that over 150,000 “patriots” have applied to join the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to assist the agency in carrying out the mission of deporting illegal immigrants.
This initiative is being hailed as the largest recruitment campaign in US history.
In a statement, Noem said, “ICE has received over 150,000 applications from American patriots who are eager to deport the most heinous criminal illegal immigrants and defend our homeland.”
“We have issued over 18,000 preliminary employment notifications,” she wrote. “The American people are answering the nation’s call to assist in deporting murderers, pedophiles, rapists, terrorists, and gang members.”
On its official website, the Department of Homeland Security quoted Secretary Noem as saying, “This is a decisive moment in our nation’s history. Your skills, experience, and courage have never been more important. We must join hands to defend our homeland.”
For years, a large number of illegal immigrants have crossed the border into the US, leading to border and immigration crises. This prompted the Trump administration to take decisive action to arrest and deport criminal immigrants during its second term. ICE took the lead and launched a massive recruitment campaign at the end of July.
The recruitment advertisement by ICE stated, “We urgently need your experience and expertise. We thank you on behalf of the nation and proudly invite you to serve our country.”
The “One Big Beautiful Bill Act” passed in early July allocated an additional $75 billion to ICE to carry out President Trump’s crackdown on illegal immigrants, with $30 billion for arrests and deportations and $45 billion for expanding detention capacities.
During this recruitment drive, some top applicants were offered six-figure annual salaries to join ICE. A report from The Washington Post revealed other incentives including up to $50,000 signing bonuses, student loan repayment and forgiveness, enhanced retirement benefits, as well as administrative overtime subsidies for Removal Operations (ERO) deportation officers, and a 25% law enforcement standby subsidy for Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) special agents.
In July of this year, ICE launched the “Operation Return to Mission” recruitment campaign, issuing an “Urgent Call” to law enforcement officers who had collectively resigned during the Biden administration to attract them back to the force.
Secretary Noem announced in August that ICE would lift the age limit for new recruits, allowing individuals over the age of 37 or 40 to be hired for specific positions within the agency.
Furthermore, ICE is intensifying its training for new recruits to prepare them for law enforcement duties.
ICE is currently conducting large-scale immigration enforcement operations in major US cities such as Los Angeles, Washington DC, Boston, and Chicago. Authorities have also deployed the National Guard in Los Angeles and Washington DC.