"There's a formula: First the White House sets an ambitious goal-1 million deportations a year, 3,000 immigration arrests a day. Then it presses the federal workforce to meet the target. Last year, Trump officials pledged to double staffing at ICE by adding 10,000 new deportation officers by January 2026. Stephen Miller treated the recruitment drive as a priority on par with the deportation push, demanding daily updates on the pace of hiring."
"Just after New Year's Day, the Department of Homeland Security declared victory, celebrating an ICE hiring spree that "shattered expectations" and achieved a "120% Manpower Increase." DHS said it received more than 220,000 applications (many candidates applied for three or four different jobs) and signed up 12,000 new officers, agents, and legal staff in about four months. No federal law-enforcement agency has ever expanded this fast."
"About 1,200 recruits have completed courses at ICE's training academy, and another 3,000 have finished online training courses for new hires with previous policing experience. ICE has also brought back about 800 retirees who can earn a salary on top of their pension. These roughly 5,000 new deportation officers are considered "operational," and have been given a badge and a gun, though some have yet to deploy due to administrative and logistical reasons."
Immigration policy under the second Trump administration sets large numerical goals and pushes the federal workforce to meet them. Officials pledged to add 10,000 new deportation officers to ICE by January 2026 and pursued an aggressive hiring campaign with bonuses, loan-forgiveness, job expos, and daily recruitment oversight. DHS reported more than 220,000 applications and claimed 12,000 new hires and a 120 percent manpower increase. Operational readiness lagged: about 1,200 academy graduates, 3,000 completing online training, and roughly 800 retirees returned, yielding about 5,000 officers considered operational, some of whom have yet to deploy.
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