The Trump administration is trying to recruit recently retired immigration officers to fix a labor crunch, offering hefty signing bonuses and other financial incentives to staff its nationwide deportation campaign.
President Trump has outlined a plan to expand Immigration and Customs Enforcement by 10,000 officers and detail many of them to large, urban areas to accelerate efforts to remove migrants living illegally in the United States. Earlier this month, Congress approved legislation that
more than tripled the agency’s budget
in support of that crackdown.
Yet grueling schedules,
worsening morale
and increasing pressure to hit deportation quotas have complicated the already considerable challenge of finding thousands of qualified recruits to join ICE. So, too, have concerns that a massive, overnight expansion of the ranks could lead to lax vetting procedures, creating new problems
such as those that occurred
in the Border Patrol during George W. Bush’s administration.
This leaves the Trump administration turning to a pool of professionals who, leaders believe, could hit the ground running.
“This is a pivotal moment in our country’s history, and your experience and expertise are vitally needed,” read an
announcement on the ICE website
seeking deportation officers and criminal investigators. “On behalf of a grateful nation, we proudly call upon you to serve your country.”
Trump administration officials have been posting links to the website and the federal job application portal on LinkedIn. They have also been emailing former officers directly, appealing to those who left the job within the last five years and departed in good standing to reapply.
“We are issuing an urgent call to former I.C.E. law enforcement officers to join OPERATION RETURN TO MISSION,” read an email to former officers reviewed by The New York Times, which promised that qualified candidates would be able to draw a salary and their pension simultaneously and collect up to $50,000 in bonuses.
It was also clear from the announcements that administration officials wanted to recruit retirees back quickly, as the full bonus would only be available to those who applied in the next two weeks.
“Ready to rejoin the mission and get up to a $50k signing bonus ON TOP OF rehired annuitant pay (pension + paycheck)?” Robert J. Hammer, a Homeland Security Department official, posted on LinkedIn. “Submit your application by Aug 1 to be eligible for the full recruitment incentives package.”
It was not immediately clear how much interest there would be in the offer, but Mr. Hammer’s post — and copies of it that were reposted to other LinkedIn pages — drew a handful of positive responses from former ICE officials.
Representatives from the agency did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Nicholas Nehamas contributed reporting.
