Image Credit: Mario Tama / Staff / Getty Images 
Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has received more than 200,000 job applications since Donald Trump returned to the Oval Office.
“Americans are answering their country’s call to serve and help remove murderers, pedophiles, rapists, terrorists, and gang members from our country,” DHS Secretary Kristi Noem said in a post on X.
ICE launched a “Defend the Homeland” recruiting drive at the end of July this year, after the passage of President Trump’s flagship One Big Beautiful Bill Act, which set aside $170 billion for border security and immigration enforcement.
Over $70 billion of that money, or nearly ten times the agency’s normal budget, was given to ICE, with $30 billion specifically for hiring new agents.
ICE was set a recruitment goal of 10,000 new agents, to help meet its target of a million deportations annually.
A new “robust package” of perks has been created for new agents, including up to $50,000 in signing bonuses, retirement benefits and student-loan forgiveness.
Age limits have also been removed, in an effort to encourage more to sign up.
Other related services have also announced record applications. These include the US Coast Guard Service and US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS).
Since launching its own hiring campaign at the end of September, USCIS has received an “overwhelming” 35,000 applications.
“USCIS is not wasting time; we are committed to implementing President [Donald] Trump’s priorities. These candidates are not just applying for a job—they are applying to guard our values and defend our homeland,” USCIS Director Joseph Edlow said.
