U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials said Saturday that employment has drastically gone up, with over 12,000 new agents and officers.
The agency has been receiving major attention from the Trump administration as part of its bid to deport illegal immigrants, since administration officials said in October 2025 that they would “surge” ICE operations. Since then, the agency’s employment has bypassed its original goal of hiring 10,000 new officers after over 220,000 people applied.
“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,” Homeland Security spokeswoman Tricia McLaughlin said in a press release. “That’s a 120% increase in our workforce. And that’s in just about four months.”
ICE is already deploying some of these new officers across the nation, and it is still accepting new applications, according to the agency.
The uptick in ICE employment comes after the Trump administration funded various hiring bonuses for new hires, including a one-time bonus of up to $50,000 and student loan repayment.
THE HEART OF TRUMP’S DEPORTATION PUSH
Outside of ICE deportations, the Trump administration is also touting self-deportations under President Donald Trump’s watch, totaling 1.9 million from January through mid-December last year. Part of the administration’s push for self-deporations includes offering rewards for doing so, including a complimentary one-way plane ticket, a $1,000 payment, and forgiveness for any fines related to failing to depart on time in the case of overstaying a visa.
The Washington Examiner contacted ICE for comment.
