The Department of Homeland Security is offering new Immigration and Customs Enforcement recruits signing bonuses of up to $50,000 and student loan forgiveness, as the agency — suddenly flush with cash — seeks to meet President Donald Trump’s goal of hiring 10,000 new ICE agents and deporting a million people a year.
With the help of major funding from the megabill Trump signed into law this month, DHS on Tuesday launched a new ICE campaign titled “Defend the Homeland,” with recruitment posters featuring Trump and DHS Secretary Kristi Noem, along with pay benefits aimed at drawing “the next generation of law enforcement professionals to find, arrest, and remove criminal illegal aliens,” the agency said in a press statement announcing the effort.
The GOP domestic policy package allocated $170 billion for immigration and border efforts, a major shot in the arm for the White House's ambitious deportation agenda. But ICE will need to ramp up hiring to meet the administration's lofty goals.
“Look, this isn’t easy. Ten thousand ICE officers? Never happened before,” Trump border czar Tom Homan told POLITICO in early July. “But I’ll say this: It’s about time … with more money, we can do more.”
Other incentives announced by DHS included enhanced retirement benefits and overtime pay.
The agency said recruitment materials would be sent out to college campuses and job fairs as soon as this week.
“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,” Noem said in DHS’ Tuesday press release. “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.”
When reached for comment Wednesday, the DHS pointed back to the original press release. The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment from POLITICO.
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