DHS, CBP hiring more agents as Trump immigration crackdown continues

Illegal border crossings are down and morale is up since President Donald Trump took office in January, but the Department of Homeland Security is just now rolling out a push to hire 8,000 new Border Patrol officers and customs agents.

There are incentives, sign-on bonuses and even a social media campaign aimed at drafting Americans to defend the homeland from what Trump has described as an invasion perpetrated by the Biden administration.

“America has been invaded by criminals and predators. We need YOU to get them out,” reads a DHS post on X, next to an image of Uncle Sam pointing his finger, saying, “AMERICA NEEDS YOU.”

DHS says it is “rolling out patriotic recruitment posters and benefits to attract the next generation of law enforcement professionals to find, arrest, and remove criminal illegal aliens.” Recruitment materials are being distributed throughout cities nationwide, as well as on college campuses, at job fairs and through law enforcement networks beginning this week. 

DHS also published videos of images of American landscapes, families and military service members, saying, “The promise of America is worth protecting. The future of our homeland is worth defending.” 

DHS Secretary Kristi Noem makes the same argument, saying, “Your country is calling you to serve at ICE. … Your country needs dedicated men and women of ICE to get the worst of the worst criminals out of our country. 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.” 

Border crossings have dropped dramatically since Trump reentered the White House, falling to record lows, and deportations have reached nearly 250,000, part of Trump’s campaign promise to conduct “the largest deportation operation in U.S. history.” 

Now that DHS has staunched the flow of new illegal immigrants into the country, officials are building the ranks of Customs and Border Protection and Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents necessary to keep the border secure and deport criminal illegal aliens en masse. 

Included in Trump’s “one big beautiful bill” is $6.15 billion for CBP to fund new personnel. The department reported making more than 1,000 temporary job offers since Trump signed the budget bill on July 4. 

DHS is also looking to rehire agents who left or retired between 2020 and 2024, including the option for some to receive both their pension and salary at the same time. 

“People were frustrated under the Biden administration,” said acting ICE Director Todd M. Lyons in a release. “They couldn’t do the jobs they signed up to do. Now, people are lining up to work with us because they know our officers and agents are allowed to enforce immigration law fairly and across the board, and that’s a cause people really believe in.” 

ICE incentives include a maximum $50,000 signing bonus, student loan repayment and forgiveness options, a 25% Law Enforcement Availability Pay (LEAP) for HSI special agents, Administratively Uncontrollable Overtime (AUO) for Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) deportation officers, and enhanced retirement benefits. 

Speaking on the KRTH-Houston morning show, CBP senior adviser Joe Vitiello said applications have doubled since Trump returned to power. 

“The administration, through their policies (and Secretary Noem’s leadership), they’ve given these agents on the front line the tools that they need to successfully control the border,” Vitiello said. “There are now serious consequences if you cross the border illegally. 

“What I mean by that is you’re likely to get apprehended. You will most likely be prosecuted in federal court for entering illegally or, in certain areas, entering illegally and entering a military-designated area, and then you’ll be removed quickly after your sentence in the federal penitentiary, and so morale is way up.” 

The administration’s deportations are on pace to reach 470,000 this year, which would break the record of nearly 420,000 set under President Obama in 2012, the Washington Times reported.  

The number is less than the 1 million deportations Trump promised during his campaign, although the pace could accelerate as more agents are hired. 

Material from The Center Square is included in this report.