US Offers Up to $50,000 Recruitment Bonus for ICE Deportation Officers
ICE has launched a major recruitment drive, offering up to $50,000 signing bonuses and student loan assistance to attract 10,000 new staff as part of an expanded deportation campaign.
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has launched a major recruitment drive, offering up to $50,000 in signing bonuses and student loan support to attract new deportation officers and other roles under the Trump administration’s expanded removal campaign.
The agency aims to double its workforce to 40,000 staff, adding 10,000 employees across various positions including attorneys, criminal investigators and student visa adjudicators. Funding comes from the $165 billion Department of Homeland Security allocation in the recent tax and spending bill.
Recruitment posters echoing World War II imagery, emblazoned with slogans like “America Needs You” and “Defend the Homeland,” debuted on July 29. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem stated, “Your country is calling you to serve at ICE. This is a defining moment in our nation’s history.”
New appointees may qualify for up to $50,000 in signing bonuses, student loan repayment or forgiveness of up to $60,000, enhanced overtime pay and improved retirement benefits. Deportation officers earn between $49,739 and $89,528 annually, depending on experience and education.
ICE currently employs 20,000 officers and support staff across 400 offices. The new funding nearly doubles its previous budget, making ICE the best-funded federal law enforcement agency with over $76 billion allocated.
The administration’s goal is one million deportations per year. So far, about 150,000 removals occurred in the first six months of the Trump presidency—around 800 per day. At this pace, ICE would reach over 300,000 deportations by year’s end, well below the target.
Former ICE chief of staff Jason Houser warned that rapid expansion might compromise standards, recalling similar issues when Customs and Border Protection grew quickly in the early 2000s.
The recruitment campaign promises substantial financial incentives to rapidly expand ICE’s workforce, but experts caution that a fast-track hiring surge may risk lowering operational standards.
This topic was reported by BBC News.
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