Some 175,000 Americans have applied for the massive Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) draft, of which 5,000 have been hired, according to an article released Thursday by White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt.
The official shared on her social networks a note from the conservative media Breitbart in which Tricia McLaughlin, deputy secretary of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), states that they are “on track” to meet the goal of having 10,000 new ICE agents in the Donald Trump Administration.
175,000 Americans want to work with ICE
175,000 Americans Apply for Jobs at ICEhttps://t.co/keKYh6qqAh
– Karoline Leavitt (@PressSec) October 16, 2025
“That’s 175,000 Americans who have applied to join ICE – amazing! It’s really encouraging to see patriots who are not fooled by the media charade, want to enforce the rule of law and want to protect our homeland,” McLaughlin told Breitbart editor-in-chief Alex Marlow.
The official recalled that the funds exist thanks to the “big, beautiful law” that President Trump signed in July and that, according to specialists, will turn ICE into the largest security agency in the United States, with a budget estimated at 75 billion dollars, higher than that of almost all the armies in the world.
DHS then stated that there would be nearly $30 billion for operations, which would allow it to hire 10,000 ICE agents to add to the 20,000 already in place and reach a rate of one million deportations per year.
McLaughlin was confident that they will “add more patriots” to ICE because “it’s a very rewarding job” and there is “a $50,000 bonus.”
“We need to get these (deportation) numbers up, and rest assured, Congress has given us these funds,” the undersecretary added.
To incentivize hiring, in addition to bonuses, DHS eliminated in August the age limits for ICE agents, who now only need to be 18 or older, as they previously had to be a minimum of 21 and a maximum of 37 or 40, depending on the position for which they were applying.
DHS launched its national ICE recruitment campaign ‘Defend the Homeland’ in July, with ads that have been aired on music streaming platforms and television, RollingStone magazine reported.
Immigrant and human rights organizations have denounced an increase in cases of abuse by ICE, including arrests of U.S. citizens, as well as the excessive use of force during immigrant detentions.
According to these groups, these practices generate fear in the communities and put at risk both the safety and civil rights of those who are subjected to these procedures, demanding stricter supervision and protocols that guarantee fair and legal treatment.
Filed under: Americans want to work with ICE
With information from EFE
