Donald Trump is rapidly expanding the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) workforce, launching what experts are calling the largest mass hiring of deportation agents in modern U.S. history. The initiative comes as part of Trump’s “Big Beautiful Bill,” a sweeping legislative package that funnels tens of billions into immigration enforcement—and drastically reshapes the role of ICE in everyday American life.
With Trump hiring more ICE agents coast to coast, over 25 major U.S. cities are now recruiting new deportation officers, including New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Dallas, Miami, and Washington, D.C. The job postings highlight a dramatic shift in tone and scale. New officers will be responsible for arresting, detaining, and deporting migrants—often without clear identification and in controversial sweeps at workplaces and even courthouses.
The job ads are bold and militarized: “Are you ready to defend the homeland?” one asks, promising signing bonuses of $50,000 and student loan relief. Starting salaries range between $50,000 and $90,000 for new hires, with returning retirees from the Biden era being offered upwards of $144,000.
A Department of Homeland Security spokesperson confirmed that more than 1,000 offers have already been extended. Many, they say, are to former ICE agents who left during Biden’s presidency, frustrated by what they saw as handcuffed enforcement authority. These agents are being called back with promises of higher pay and more “freedom to act.”
Trump hiring more ICE agents has also sparked concern in border communities like El Paso and Harlingen, Texas—cities where detentions are already rising. Deportation flights have resumed from Harlingen to countries with known human rights violations, including El Salvador and South Sudan, defying prior court rulings.
In a fiery statement, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said, “Your country needs you. This is a defining moment. The Biden administration failed to protect America’s borders. Now it’s up to ICE—and we are hiring the strongest, the bravest, and the most loyal to defend our land.”
But critics see the campaign as an authoritarian overreach. Anthropology professor Josiah Heyman warned the Los Angeles Times that the scale of hiring means ICE will be “taking whoever walks in the door,” opening the door to abuse, lack of training, and legal violations.
It’s not just ICE officers. Trump’s plan includes new criminal investigators and government attorneys across 90 cities, with some roles paying up to $171,000, plus signing bonuses. The “Big Beautiful Bill” that funds this effort also includes massive tax cuts for the wealthy and deep cuts to Medicaid—fueling controversy about the administration’s priorities.
For many, the most alarming development is Trump’s push to integrate the military into ICE operations. A leaked memo from Pentagon official Philip Hegseth, brother to Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, urges military leadership to “feel the urgency of homeland defense” and support ICE with boots on the ground. Critics say this echoes World War II-era internment tactics.
Carrie Lee of the German Marshall Fund warned, “This memo is alarming. The military is the most powerful force in the country, and using it for civilian immigration enforcement completely undermines democratic norms.”
Despite backlash, Trump continues to press forward with the hiring blitz. The image of Uncle Sam used on DHS recruiting posters—“Return to Mission”—reflects the campaign’s deep nationalistic tone. For supporters, it’s a reclaiming of national sovereignty. For opponents, it’s a dangerous pivot toward militarized domestic policy.
In a recent White House statement, spokesperson Abigail Jackson said, “The funding from President Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill will fulfill his promise to deport criminal illegal aliens and take our streets back.”
Whether the hiring of 10,000 new ICE employees will achieve those goals—or simply inflame a nation already torn on immigration—remains to be seen. But one thing is certain: Trump hiring more ICE agents marks a turning point in federal enforcement priorities, setting the stage for dramatic actions ahead of the 2026 midterms.
