Hot cars, Hiring Bonuses, and Superman — Trying to Make Joining ICE Cool

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Armed with $30 billion for hiring purposes, thanks to the passage of the “One Big, Beautiful Bill” approved by Congress in July, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) is going on a shopping spree and media blitz to add some 10,000 officers to its ranks.

The government recently shelled out $120,000 to purchase two Ford Mustang GTs Fastbacks that it quickly painted with gold Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) logos and a “Defend the Homeland” graphics.

ICE plans to use the muscle cars, which feature a 5.0-liter V8 engine and 480 horsepower, which can go from 0 to 60 mph in 4.3 seconds and have a top speed of 155 mph, for promotional events to capture the attention of potential recruits.

The Mustangs add to ICE’s fleet of customized SUVs and pickup trucks that include a Ford Raptor and a GMC Yukon – purchased at a whopping $700,000 price tag – all painted navy blue, with red-and-white racing stripes and a gold ICE logo. The words “President Donald J. Trump” are printed in gold on the rear window along with “Defend the Homeland” on the side.

The agency is also putting on a blitzy media campaign with videos and memes all hoping to attract candidates to its ranks.

Bonuses and Lower Standards

It is also offering $50,000 signing bonuses to new offices, and has reportedly lowered hiring standards, including reducing Spanish-language requirements, and removed age limits for applicants. This even allowed former 90s TV “Superman”, actor Dean Cain, to join the ranks of ICE at age 59.

The agency is also offering student loan repayment programs and is seeking to re-hire retired officers.

The strategy seems to be working. The government reported that it has received 121,000 applications, many from former officers.

Lack of Support

All of this comes as ICE’s aggressive tactics to increase arrests—including repeated raids at Home Depot stores, agricultural fields, and food processing plants—have been met with condemnation and disapproval from large sectors of the population. A July Quinnipiac University poll found that 57 percent of voters disapprove of how ICE is enforcing immigration law. That’s partly because ICE is going after gardeners, construction, and farm workers—hardly the criminal “bad hombres” the Trump Administration touts as its primary immigration targets.

In an opinion piece, Fordham Law School Professor John Pfaff argues that even with all this recruiting efforts, ICE will not reach its hiring goals.

He argues that the agency has historically faced difficulties to bolster ranks, that the base pay and salary range for ICE agents is lower than at other law enforcement agencies, such as the New York Police Department, and that ongoing protests and dislike for the agents makes the job less attractive.

Pfaff worries that this will force ICE to lower standards, which makes the new hires less competent and potentially more prone to law violations, or that it would turn to contractors and right-wing extremists, which also may only further harden the actions of the agency in immigrant communities already reeling from indiscriminate ICE raids.