In recent weeks, the Trump administration has made it abundantly clear that it is serious about mass deportation efforts, amongst others to counteract the multiple millions of individuals unlawfully present in the nation.
That seriousness was especially clear in recent weeks, after ICE launched its “Operation Return to Mission” program.
Under the tenets of this program, former ICE officials that quit in prior administrations can return to their jobs for a very lucrative sign-on bonus … As in up to $50,000 lucrative.
An amount that is hardly anything to sneeze at, especially these days.
However, with the recent passage of the “big, beautiful bill” – not to mention the growing resistance of various sanctuary cities towards federal law enforcement – it should come as no surprise that the Trump administration is further doubling down on its efforts to expand ICE.
And one of those efforts entails eliminating hurdles that might otherwise discourage someone from joining ICE.
Such as age limit, for instance. A limit that The Hill reports has now gone by the wayside, per the Trump administration.
“We are ENDING the age cap for ICE law enforcement. Qualified candidates can now apply with no age limit,” DHS Secretary Kristi Noem declared on X.
DHS provides even more detail regarding the sudden shift in an official press release.
“U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (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,” the DHS began.
A mission that has undoubtedly expanded in recent months, for obvious reasons.
That said, even though age requirements have been waived, aspiring ICE officials will still need to undergo relevant testing to ensure their ability to fulfill the ICE mission.
“All ICE law enforcement recruits will be required to go through medical screening, drug screening, and complete a physical fitness test,” the DHS added.
And should these individuals succeed in gaining employment at ICE, they are set to enjoy a wide array of benefits via “a robust package of federal law enforcement incentives,” which include the following:
- A maximum $50,000 signing bonus
- Student loan repayment and forgiveness options
- 25% Law Enforcement Availability Pay (LEAP) for HSI Special Agents
- Administratively Uncontrollable Overtime (AUI) for Enforcement Removal Operations (ERO) Deportation Officers
- Enhanced retirement benefits”
The funding for the new ICE officials’ salaries and benefits packages has been “backed by significant new funding through the recently signed One Big Beautiful Bill,” per the DHS.
And it is clear that those salaries and benefits are of great interest to tens of thousands of applicants, as announced by Noem.
“As of today, we have over 80,000 applicants for those 10,000 positions already,” Noem boasted during an appearance on Fox News.
Given the current focus of the Trump administration, it will not be surprising at all if the 10,000 available positions grow to 15,000 or more available positions in the near future.
Especially if internal division over mass migration continues to grow.
Author: Jane Jones
