The Trump administration is using billions of dollars in new funding for immigration enforcement to offer sign-on bonuses of up to $50,000 and student loan forgiveness to new hires at Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
The Department of Homeland Security has announced massive bonuses and other incentives for Americans hired by the federal agency to work as deportation officers, criminal investigators, or general counsel.
The move is intended to strengthen the federal agency as it carries out the Trump administration’s mass deportation operation, a cornerstone of President Donald Trump’s 2024 campaign.
“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,” DHS Secretary Kristi Noem said in a statement. “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.”
New hires will be eligible for a one-time bonus of up to $50,000, student loan repayment and forgiveness options, and other incentives related to time off, retirement, and overtime.
The announcement of the incentives coincided with DHS’s new ad campaign aimed at appealing to the public. A new recruitment website implores U.S. citizens to join ICE and help the Trump administration’s mass deportation efforts.
Its rollout comes weeks after Congress passed the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, which will allow ICE to hire 10,000 more federal law enforcement officers and agents to carry out its congressionally mandated mission of enforcing U.S. immigration laws within the United States.
UNCLE SAM-THEMED DHS WEBSITE URGES US CITIZENS TO JOIN ICE: ‘AMERICA NEEDS YOU’
ICE will also have funding to detain up to 100,000 illegal immigrants, double the previous amount, and set up an additional 80,000 beds.
The website draws on the character legend Uncle Sam. A graphic shows the famous figure pointing at the viewer, and capital letters at the top of the page read, “AMERICA NEEDS YOU.”
