- ICE expanded rapidly, adding 12,000 agents and doubling its workforce to about 22,000 after heavy funding and aggressive recruitment incentives.
- Critics warn lowered standards, rushed vetting, and targeted propaganda recruitment could produce unqualified officers and civil rights risks.
ICE just added a whopping 12,000 new agents nationwide as it vows to crack down on illegal immigrants harder than any previous administration.
This past weekend, DHS announced that ICE surpassed its initial goal, receiving more than 220,000 applications from candidates.
In turn, the agency was able to exceed its goal of hiring 10,000 new employees within a year. This development now boosts the workforce to approximately 22,000 employees, a 120% increase.
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Official Announcements from DHS
Tricia McLaughlin, a spokesperson for the Department of Homeland Security is giving big credit to the Big Beautiful Bill.
She stated, “The good news is that thanks to the Big Beautiful Bill that President Trump signed, we have an additional 12,000 ICE officers and agents on the ground across the country. That’s a 120 percent increase in our workforce. And that’s in just about four months.”
Trump’s Big Beautiful Bill allocated a whopping $170 billion toward immigration enforcement and all related infrastructure to carry out its aggressive and controversial policies.
Majority of that money was spent to ramp up hiring, expand detention facilities, and even upgrade technology and transportation systems.
How was the Department of Homeland Security able to draw in so many applicants? Well, they began to offer lucrative benefits.
To lure in recruits, ICE signed bonuses reaching up to $50,000, introduced student loan repayment programs, and even dropped the age limit so that applicants as young as 18 could apply.
Previously, most positions required candidates to between the ages of 21 and 40.
Remember the government shut down? While SNAP funds were getting dry, millions of dollars were being poured into aggressive ad campaigns.
At one point, airports began to reject the propaganda.
What Critics Are Saying
Not everyone is cheering for this rapid growth, though. Many critics raise concerns about potential shortcuts that occurred during the process.
For example, reports have highlighted struggles at the Georgia training academy, where more than a third of recruits were physically unfit for the job.
Pushups, situps, and even running were a challenge for many individuals.
Internal emails even nicknamed some candidates “athletically allergic,” according to coverage in The Atlantic.
John Sandweg, who served as acting ICE director from 2013 to 2014, voiced concerns earlier to Newsweek, stating, “Unfortunately, much of DHS and ICE’s current recruiting efforts seem likely to encourage people who are motivated to public service for the wrong reasons and the lowering of hiring standards only increases the risk that some of these applicants may be brought on board.”
On the flip side, Kyle Milowski, a retired ICE official, told Newsweek the mix of candidate quality was in line with past trends, stating, “I’m hearing that there is a mixture of candidates, qualifications and failures. It’s proportionate to the number hired and follows historical trends.”
Controversies Behind the American Propaganda
Most controversial of all is the way these campaigns were created and who they were targeting.
For example, the recruitments were advertised as a “wartime recruitment” blitz aimed at gun enthusiasts, military fans, and conservative audiences.
Ads were tailored to hit specific groups of people too, showcasing at gun shows, military bases, and placements on conservative podcasts.
However, sources described that behind the scenes, things were much more chaotic and complicated.
CNN reported in October 2025 that the agency was so overwhelmed, that they had to borrow staff from FEMA to process applications and deal with minimum background checks in the rush.
Administration officials called it a “shit show,” though DHS insisted that its standards remained high.
Today, thanks to Trump’s large immigration plan, ICE has positioned itself for even larger operations, dwarfing any previous expansion under other administrations.
Just for some context the last big push came under President George W. Bush, when Border Patrol added about 8,000 agents over several years.
What Comes Next Might Not Be So Pretty
Leaked documents show that 75% of ICE detainees have had no criminal background, so, why the expansion in ICE agents?
The data, first obtained by the libertarian Cato Institute paints a sad picture of what’s happening in America today, and how certain groups of people are being manipulated to believe a lie.
DHS has made it very clear; they are not slowing down.
And with funding secured for a new army across America, it won’t be long before American citizens are forced to serve the country and take on the jobs they didn’t want in the first place through government order.
What will happen when laws go into effect drafting Americans to work hard labor jobs like fruit picking, landscaping, or construction?
Someone has to fill these roles, and it’s going to be Americans. Will excessive force or civil rights violations matter then, under these conditions?
Because in this very moment, ICE now has more resources at their disposal than the FBI.
Will oversight continue to grow out of control? What do you think happens next for Americans?
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Also Read: Bill Clinton Now Reacts to Heavily Redacted Epstein Photos Featured in Pool
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