While Democrats and legacy media push the narrative that Americans are against U.S. Customs and Immigration Enforcement, a record 78,000 people have applied to join ICE—and that’s just in the last week.
ICE and U.S. Department of Homeland Security officials announced the surge in applications, following the launch of the “Defend the Homeland” recruitment initiative last week. The agency is offering a complete benefits package and other incentives including a $50,000 signing bonus and student loan forgiveness.
“We’re excited to welcome patriots who want to serve their country and make a difference in people’s daily lives,” said acting ICE Director Todd M. Lyons in a statement.
In addition, DHS Secretary Kristi Noem announced Wednesday that ICE will waive age limits for new applicants, “so even more patriots will qualify to join ICE in its mission to arrest murderers, pedophiles, gang members, rapists, and other criminal illegal aliens from America’s streets,” according to a news release.
That means ICE is ending the age cap for ICE law enforcement, but new recruits must still pass a medical screening, drug screening and complete a physical fitness test.
“Your country is calling you to serve at ICE,” Noem said when announcing the Defend the Homeland initiative. “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.”
DHS is also recruiting Americans to join DHS, ICE, Customs and Border Protection and Border Patrol to support the Trump administration’s border security efforts, The Center Square reported.
Last month, the Department of Defense launched a program to enable outgoing service personnel to transition to federal border security roles with DHS, CBP and ICE.
On July 31, Lyons reported the agency has issued over 1,000 tentative job offers since July 4, as it works to rebuild a workforce that was demoralized and downsized under the Biden administration.
ICE extended first-round job offers to several former ICE officers and agents who retired under the previous administration. Lyons said U.S. military service members and local law enforcement officers are “some of the best of the best.”
“People were frustrated under the Biden administration,” Lyons said. “They couldn’t do the jobs they signed up to do. Now, people are lining up to work with us because they know our officers and agents are allowed to enforce immigration law fairly and across the board, and that’s a cause people really believe in.”
Lyons also recently appeared on Fox News to talk about the surge in applications since the recruitment initiative launched last week.
“We’re going through and we’re finding those people that really want to serve the country and really be in law enforcement,” Lyons said. “I think it’s a great way to recruit. Now we’re taking back our rehired annuitants, people that left the job early because they weren’t allowed to do the law enforcement mission.”
Thanks to additional border security funding from the recently passed One Big Beautiful Bill, ICE has sweetened the deal with additional perks including:
- A maximum $50,000 signing bonus
- Student loan repayment and forgiveness options
- 25% Law Enforcement Availability Pay for HSI Special Agents
- Administratively Uncontrollable Overtime for Enforcement Removal Operations Deportation Officers
- Enhanced retirement benefits
ICE isn’t the only agency seeing a record number of applicants. According to another Center Square report from May, there’s been a surge in interest to join the U.S. Secret Service, U.S. military, Coast Guard and Border Patrol.
In the first four months of Trump’s administration, U.S. Border Patrol received 34,650 applications, representing a 44% increase over the same four-month period in 2024.
U.S. Border Patrol Chief Mike Banks said the first quarter of 2025 marked “the most successful four-month recruitment stretch in the agency’s history.”
CBP is offering opportunities for former Border Patrol agents who retired between July 2020 and July 2024 to rejoin as a reemployed annuitant. Applications are currently being accepted for Border Patrol Agent (Reemployed Annuitant) GS-1896-13, and Border Patrol Agent (Reemployed Annuitant) GS-1896-12 positions, The Center Square reported.
The U.S. Coast Guard also saw a massive spike of applications after failing to meet recruiting targets every year under the Biden administration.
DHS plans to roll out the recruitment campaign nationwide through patriotic recruitment posters and outreach efforts at college campuses, job fairs, and law enforcement networks.
ICE encourages Americans with “a commitment to public safety, national service and upholding the rule of law” to apply and pursue a career in federal law enforcement.
