Bonuses and High Salaries Fuel Aggressive Recruitment Drive
110,000 Applicants Flock In... Final Hiring Numbers Still Unclear
The administration of former U.S. President Donald Trump is ramping up efforts to recruit a large number of enforcement personnel in order to accelerate its policy of deporting undocumented immigrants.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents searching a vehicle in Washington DC. Unrelated to the article. Photo by AFP Yonhap News.
On August 17 (local time), The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) reported that the U.S. Department of Homeland Security is actively advertising job openings for Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents on social media and other platforms, offering what it described as unprecedented incentives.
ICE is offering a signing bonus of up to $50,000 for new hires and up to $60,000 in student loan repayment assistance. The positions are divided into roles such as "deportation officer," "criminal investigator," and "general attorney." The annual salary for deportation officers ranges from $49,739 to $101,860, while criminal investigators can expect between $63,148 and $144,031. According to WSJ, these salaries are higher than those offered to entry-level police officers in New York and Chicago.
Additionally, the agency has launched a "Return to Mission" campaign, creating new positions for individuals over 40 in order to bring retired law enforcement officers back into service.
A flood of applicants... but the number of hires remains uncertain
The Department of Homeland Security stated that approximately 110,000 people have applied for this campaign. However, it remains unclear how many will actually be hired. ICE's recruitment process includes rigorous standards such as physical fitness tests and medical examinations, and some job postings include warnings that candidates must be able to work in dangerous and highly stressful situations.
In practice, many aspects of ICE's work are similar to those of local police, so a significant portion of applicants are expected to be already trained law enforcement professionals. However, some critics argue that ICE is poaching personnel from local law enforcement agencies. Grady Judd, sheriff of Florida, pointed out, "It is not right for federal agencies to undermine local police forces in this way."
ICE has recently sparked controversy by conducting random raids in areas with high immigrant populations. This move is aimed at increasing deportation numbers in line with the Trump administration's hardline directives. According to data from the "Deportation Data Project," which analyzes deportation trends, the Trump administration deported 144,000 people by the end of June this year, a slight increase compared to the same period under the Biden administration (approximately 136,000).
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