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40,000 Non-ICE Personnel Fuel Controversial Deportation Efforts

10/5/2025

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ICE Recruitment Controversy

The Cato Institute's analysis indicates that over 40,000 non-ICE personnel support ICE's Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO), far exceeding the number of ICE officers.
Only 1 in 5 officials involved in deportations are ICE ERO officers; many are from federal and local law enforcement.
Local leaders, including Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd, criticize ICE's recruitment tactics for undermining local cooperation.
The Department of Homeland Security received over 150,000 applications from Americans wishing to assist in immigration enforcement, extending 18,000 job offers.

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Trump Boosts ICE Deportations

ICE began detaining noncitizens after hearings in New York City in June 2025, despite rulings.
President Trump aims to deport more, reallocating over 28,000 federal agents to assist ICE.
The shift coincides with a drop in federal drug crime charges to a late-1990s low.
Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) agents were reassigned from white-collar crime to immigration enforcement, prompting concerns.

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ICE Recruitment Controversy

The Cato Institute's analysis indicates that over 40,000 non-ICE personnel support ICE's Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO), far exceeding the number of ICE officers.
Only 1 in 5 officials involved in deportations are ICE ERO officers; many are from federal and local law enforcement.
Local leaders, including Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd, criticize ICE's recruitment tactics for undermining local cooperation.
The Department of Homeland Security received over 150,000 applications from Americans wishing to assist in immigration enforcement, extending 18,000 job offers.

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