Source: WION
ICE is offering up to $50K signing bonuses as well as loan forgiveness in an effort to hire 10,000 more officers. DHS Secretary Kristi Noem exhorted applicants, saying that their skills, experience, and courage have never been more essential, and they will help defend the homeland.
In a bid to ramp up hiring, the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement, or ICE, is offering signing bonuses of up to $50,000 (£37,700) and student loan help to “brave and heroic” Americans keen to help the Trump administration’s deportation drive. The agency is aiming to recruit deportation officers, along with attorneys, criminal investigators, student visa adjudicators, and other roles. ICE plans to add 10,000 personnel, doubling the agency’s headcount as it ramps up deportations across the country.
ICE has launched a recruitment campaign as the government plans a major expansion of immigration enforcement after a recent infusion of money from Congress and is promising up to $50,000 in signing bonuses.
The U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement campaign recalls recruiting posters from World War II with images of Uncle Sam and the words “AMERICA NEEDS YOU.” There also are photos of Trump and top homeland security officials with the words “DEFEND THE HOMELAND” across the images.
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said in a release, “Your country is calling you to serve at ICE. 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.”
The funding for the recruitment drive comes from approximately $165 billion allocated for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) in Donald Trump’s sweeping tax and spending bill.
In addition to the signing bonus and student loan repayment and forgiveness of up to $60,000, ICE is promising hefty overtime pay for deportation officers and “enhanced retirement benefits”.
Deportation officers are tasked with helping apprehend and process undocumented migrants for removal from the US and get salaries between $49,739 and $89,528 per year, depending on experience and education.
ICE currently has 20,000 officers and support personnel at 400 offices across the country.