TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Once a relatively obscure branch of law enforcement, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents have fast become the sharp point of Donald Trump's mass deportation initiative.
Since Trump took office a year ago, the number of ICE agents has jumped from 10,000 to 22,000, thanks largely to a Department of Homeland Security (DHS) recruitment drive to sign up what they call "qualified patriotic Americans from across the country.
The Trump administration said it deported 605,000 people between January 20 and December 10, 2025, and 1.9 million immigrants had "voluntarily self-deported."
Such a significant upscaling of a branch of law enforcement is unusual—and unprecedented in the history of ICE, which was formed in 2002. The effort raises questions about screening and the suitability of candidates, of which DHS said there were 220,000 in the last year.
Training time cut as numbers rise
ICE training has been cut from 16 to eight weeks in the drive. The requirement to learn some Spanish, the language of most of the country's unauthorized immigrants, has also been axed. ICE did not respond to a series of questions from DW on its recruitment.
Concerns about the training of agents and the perceived politicization of ICE have grown in the wake of the death of Renee Nicole Good, which has sparked countrywide protests across and led to the resignation of a dozen federal prosecutors in the state of Minnesota on Wednesday.
"ICE does seek candidates who meet specific eligibility and suitability requirements, including citizenship, fitness standards, background investigations and, for some roles, law enforcement training or experience," Melissa Hamilton, an American lawyer and a former police and prison officer, told DW.
"At the same time, recent federal recruitment initiatives have emphasized volume alongside quality, with significant funding aimed at filling tens of thousands of positions and offering incentives to attract large applicant pools rapidly."
Recruitment drive takes in Uncle Sam
Hamilton, who is currently a professor of law and criminal justice at the University of Surrey in England, said elements of ICE's recruitment strategy, such as visiting job fairs or posting ads on federal job sites, are typical of law enforcement, but that the organization is also employing some unusual methods.
"Where ICE's recent approach differs is in the scale and intensity of the media push, with unusually high-budget advertising campaigns and broad public outreach aimed at generating large applicant pools," she said.
This media and social media push, which uses recruitment tools that lean heavily on key Trump messaging, has proved controversial. This has included featuring Uncle Sam, a personified symbol of the US government most notoriously used to recruit soldiers during World War I, on the ICE careers webpage and posting the painting "American Progress," often criticized for showing white settlers traveling towards their manifest destiny while Native Americans retreat from view, on official social media pages.
The advertising bill for what the DHS has described as a "wartime recruitment" drive in 2026 is $100 million (€86 million), according to a 30 page document seen by The Washington Post newspaper. The pace looks set to at least continue, given that Trump's "Big Beautiful Bill" handed ICE a $170 billion budget over the next four years for border and interior enforcement.
Ads target Trump base
But more than posters or slogans, it seems to be "data-driven outreach efforts," as the DHS calls them, that are making the most impact.
Many observers believe ICE is using modern methods to target groups that share Trump's ideology. Hamilton points to the practice of geofencing. In this case, that means the web browsers and social media feeds of anyone near, for example, military bases, particular sporting events or gun and trade shows can be pinpointed and served recruitment ads.
The document states that ICE is also looking to "flood the market" with social media ads and use influencers on sites like Rumble, a video sharing popular with those on the political right.
"ICE's recruitment messaging, especially recent campaigns, appears designed to resonate with people who are responsive to patriotic and national-security themes. It also appears designed to appeal to the MAGA base and the implicit America First messaging within it," said Hamilton, while stressing that ICE recruitment materials do not directly specify any political criteria for applicants.
Sign-up bonuses of up to $50,000 and "student loan repayment and forgiveness options" are also available for new recruits.
"The campaign does target the under-unemployed and those from blue-collar backgrounds," said Hamilton. "Who it likely does not appeal to are those interested in social justice."
Age limit scrapped, but is recruitment a success?
While ICE appears to be targeting a certain political and economic demographic, it has also abolished its age limits since the turn of the year, giving it a wider pool of potential candidates to draw from. The lower age limit had previously been 21 and the upper age limit 37 to 40, depending on the role.
The DHS insist their recruitment processes ensure "rigorous standards for training and readiness." Though not without its detractors, the recruitment drive has worked, on some levels at least, concluded Hamilton.
"Success depends on the criteria used: if the goal was to significantly expand staffing quickly, recruitment appears to have delivered. If the goal is to attract highly experienced law enforcement personnel, the evidence is mixed, with some reporting concerns about the experience levels of new recruits relative to the demands of complex immigration enforcement work."
Such distinctions are not necessary for the DHS. "With these new patriots on the team, we will be able to accomplish what many say was impossible and fulfill President Trump's promise to make America safe again," it boasted earlier this month.
Read: Deaths in ICE Custody Hits Record High in 2025
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