Capitalizing on positivity and zeitgeist: recruitment more than doubles at Trump’s ICE

Seizing on improving public sentiment and support for law enforcement under President Donald Trump, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) employment has gone from 10,000 agents to 22,000 in just four months, exceeding its own goal of 10,000 new employees.

The hiring surge follows the review of more than 220,000 applications submitted throughout the year after multiple public campaigns urged Americans to serve their country by fortifying its borders and enforcing its immigration laws.

Recruiting theme: "America has been invaded by criminals and predators. We need YOU to get them out."

The increase in manpower will likely surge even more as ICE is ramping up a $100 million recruitment campaign for 2026, dovetailing off many of their successful modes of promotion from 2025. One such campaign from 2025 features the iconic Uncle Sam "I Want You" imagery that originated with Army recruitment posters starting in 1917. The ad touted a $50,000 signing bonus, a $60,000 student loan repayment and featured the words, "America has been invaded by criminals and predators. We need YOU to get them out."

The official Instagram page for ICE is highly active, posting videos with popular songs in the background, playing to pop-culture themes, multiple times a day to its 760,000 followers. 

Law enforcement support, enthusiasm surge

Under former President Joe Biden's administration, law enforcement morale plummeted to historic lows amid widespread burnout and mental health crises, as evidenced by Police1's 2024 "What Cops Want" survey where over 60% of officers reported poor work-life balance due to excessive overtime, 55% expressed dissatisfaction with mental health resources, and 43% cited workloads as a major stressor affecting personal lives. 

Since Trump's election and inauguration in early 2025, morale has surged with renewed support from leadership and the public. A May 2025 Gallup poll showed Black Americans' confidence in local police rose to 64%—a six-point increase from the prior year and the highest in four years—alongside overall public attitudes improving as per Lexipol's analysis of mid-2025 data. 

Other LEO outfits feel the surge

This turnaround is further evidenced by record recruiting across not only federal agencies like ICE, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) but also in municipal police departments in 2025, signaling officers' restored sense of purpose and appreciation under pro-law enforcement policies.

The FBI received 5,577 special agent applications in March 2025 alone, which was the highest monthly total in nearly a decade, totaling 10,000 in the first few months of 2025.

Even in blue cities, the upward swing exists. The New York Police Department (NYPD) hired a record 4,056 new officers in 2025, the largest single-year total in recorded history. Additionally, deep-blue Seattle's police department hired more new officers in 2025 than in the previous two years combined, hitting 150 by mid-2025.

The California Highway Patrol (CHP) had a banner year in 2025 as well, with 780 new officers graduating and entering the organization.