The Department of Homeland Security has launched a recruitment campaign offering Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents signing bonuses of up to $50,000 and student loan forgiveness as part of the Trump administration’s expanded immigration enforcement efforts.
In the press release, the Trump administration also included graphics of public officials in tactical gear with the slogan “DEFEND THE HOMELAND” and “JOIN ICE TODAY.”
The “Defend the Homeland” campaign, unveiled by DHS Secretary Kristi Noem on July 29, aims to hire 10,000 new ICE agents over the next four years using funding from the recently passed “One Big Beautiful Bill” (OBBBA). The legislation allocated $170 billion for immigration and border enforcement, with ICE receiving approximately $76.5 billion, nearly 10 times its current annual budget.
“Your country is calling you to serve at ICE. In the wake of the Biden administration’s failed immigration policies, your country needs dedicated men and women of ICE to get the worst of the worst criminals out of our country,” said Secretary Kristi Noem. “This is a defining moment in our nation’s history. Your skills, your experience, and your courage have never been more essential. Together, we must defend the homeland.”
According to the Migration Policy Institute, when including Title 42 expulsions, the Biden administration conducted approximately 4.4 million repatriations during its term, surpassing any single presidential term since George W. Bush’s second term, which reached 5 million. In comparison, Trump’s administration deported 267,258 immigrants in 2019, while Biden deported 271,484 in fiscal year 2024, marking the highest deportation figure in a decade and surpassing Trump’s peak year.
Additionally, the majority of the people currently being deported by ICE have no criminal record. The Cato Institute obtained internal ICE records revealing that 65% of people taken into ICE custody in fiscal year 2025 had no criminal convictions. Among ICE detainees who do have criminal records, 53% of convictions fall into three categories: immigration, traffic, or nonviolent vice crimes. Traffic violations (including DUI) are the most common criminal conviction among detainees; immigration-related offenses like illegal entry make up a large portion; only 1.8% had sex offense convictions and 0.58% had homicide convictions.
The ICE recruitment drive offers an extensive benefits package designed to entice both new hires and former federal employees:
- Maximum $50,000 signing bonus
- Student loan repayment and forgiveness options
- 25% Law Enforcement Availability Pay (LEAP) for HSI Special Agents
- Administratively Uncontrollable Overtime (AUO) for deportation officers
- Enhanced retirement benefits
The funding will support ICE’s goal of conducting up to one million deportations annually. The agency has been authorized to maintain detention capacity for an average daily population of 100,000 individuals, with $45 billion allocated specifically for detention facilities.
While ICE agents are being offered comprehensive student loan repayment and forgiveness options as part of their recruitment package, the Trump administration has dismantled programs that provided similar relief to millions of essential workers.
The administration terminated the Biden-era Saving on a Valuable Education (SAVE) plan, which provided the most affordable student loan repayments ever offered to federal borrowers. Nearly 7.7 million borrowers enrolled in SAVE based on promises of lower payments and loan forgiveness. However, the Trump administration has ended interest-free forbearance for SAVE borrowers as of August 1, 2025; eliminated the SAVE plan entirely through the “One Big Beautiful Bill”; and forced borrowers to switch to less favorable repayment plans by July 2028.
The Trump administration has also moved to severely restrict the Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) program, which was designed to encourage Americans to enter essential public service roles like nursing, teaching, and firefighting.
Student loan borrowers will also feel the effects of The “One Big Beautiful Bill” as it reduces student loan repayment options for current and future borrowers as it: eliminates seven existing repayment plans and replaces them with just two; extends repayment periods to 30 years for income-driven plans, forcing borrowers to pay for longer; caps grauate borrowing at $100,000 and professional degree borrowing at $200,000 while placing a $257,500 lifetime limit on all federal student loans.
