Of the countless videos uploaded to social media in recent months depicting clashes between federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents and protesters in states like Minnesota, one recent video actually captured a relatively civilized conversation between the two sides.
The video, uploaded to the NowThis Impact YouTube account on January 14, shows two unidentified bystanders talking off-camera to a man wearing an “ICE ICE” vest and claiming to be an ICE official (1). It’s unclear whether they are in Minnesota or elsewhere.
The video begins with two bystanders – a man and a woman – telling the alleged ICE agent that he “should be ashamed.” The ICE agent turned to them and said, “I love my job, thank you.”
When pressed, he added, “I can’t believe I’m getting paid for this. I’d do it for free.”
The female bystander then noted that her salary was $200,000, although background noise in the recording made it difficult to discern her exact title beyond the word “assistant.” Still, when she told the ICE agent that she went to school for “more than seven years” to earn that salary, the ICE agent responded, “I went to high school and made $200,000.”
As of this writing, the video has received over 2.1 million views, with many commenters expressing their feelings on the subject. Some questioned whether ICE agents would actually do this work for free, while others questioned claims of a $200,000 salary.
So, how much do ICE agents make patrolling U.S. cities?
In a longer version of the same video, the ICE officer has a sticker on the front of his vest that says “ERO” (2).
ERO stands for Enforcement and Eviction Operations, and while it’s difficult to determine what his official position is based on the video, evidence on his clothing and the fact that he was at the scene with other law enforcement officers suggest he was likely an eviction officer.
Official ICE job postings describe deportation officers as providing support for “work related to immigration investigations, detention, identification and location, apprehension, prosecution, and removal” (3). This includes assisting in the “apprehension of individuals accused of violating immigration or related laws.” In a longer version of the video, the ICE officer tells two bystanders “I don’t care what they tell you. If you get in my way, I’m going to arrest you” (2).
The job posting lists the position’s annual salary range as $51,632 to $84,277, which appears to invalidate the $200,000 salary claimed by ICE officials. It also noted that those hired for the position “may receive student loan repayment incentives,” adding that benefits could include “health, dental, vision, life and long-term care insurance; retirement plans; and a thrift savings plan.” [similar to a 401(k)]” and more (3).
Some positions, such as the Homeland Defender (Immigration Services Officer) position, offer “signing and retention bonuses of up to $50,000” (4). But there is no mention of such benefits in the benefits for deportation officers.
In terms of educational attainment, the post said candidates must demonstrate completion of a four-year bachelor’s degree or “successful completion of a combination of post-high school education and experience” which “may be used to satisfy the overall qualification requirements.”
However, ICE’s official recruiting homepage specifically states “You don’t need an undergraduate degree” front and center (5). A separate deportation officer job description specifically states that the basic requirements for the position are U.S. citizenship and a driver’s license, the ability to carry a firearm and being under 40 (6) years of age. Therefore, the officer’s claim to have only a high school education may be true.
Meanwhile, other positions posted on ICE’s official website certainly require more than a high school diploma and don’t meet the $200,000 annual salary standard. These include an information technology specialist (up to $185,234 per year), a local chief dentist (up to $150,000 per year), and a supervisory accountant (up to $187,093 per year) (7,8,9). Labor and employment law attorneys can earn up to $197,200 per year(10).
ICE is funded by a massive $76 billion appropriation from the Republican “One Big Beautiful Act” passed last year, increasing the department’s budget nearly tenfold. A bill to add another $10 billion to ICE’s coffers passed the House last week and is headed to the Senate (11).
Last year, the Department of Homeland Security used the funds to launch a hiring spree, announcing the hiring of more than 12,000 ICE officers (12).
ICE’s recent hiring surge has also prompted intense scrutiny of how applicants are screened. In a recent first-person account in Slate, a former Army veteran said she passed her initial interview for a deportation officer position during an ICE hiring campaign despite having no law enforcement background and a public record of being sharply critical of the agency (13).
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While the ICE agent in the video says he loves his job and would “do it for free,” and the benefits offered to new hires sound enticing, multiple reports indicate that not all of his colleagues are as fulfilled as he is.
Earlier this month, Minnesota civilians Renée Good and Alex Pretti were shot to death by ICE agents, fueling anti-ICE protests. More than 20 ICE agents told The New York Times that morale was low, while expressing frustration with the long hours required to do the job, expectations tied to arrest quotas, “sharp rhetoric from senior White House and Department of Homeland Security officials in response to the shooting” and a lack of response to such tense protests.
Fox News congressional correspondent Bill Melugin also reported speaking with “more than a half-dozen federal sources involved” [in] immigration enforcement, including several in senior positions,” who “became increasingly restless and frustrated” (15).
He wrote that sources also reported a decline in morale and suggested that “trust and credibility are being eroded” from their perspective when it comes to information about the fatal shooting of the DHS boss.
Taken together, the viral video, ICE’s own job postings and recent reports about the agency’s hiring efforts paint a much more complicated picture than the official’s confident claims suggest. While some agents are clearly enthusiastic about the work, publicly posted job postings don’t advertise the $200,000 salary for on-site positions, highlighting the disparity between the viral claims and the details outlined in official recruiting materials.
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@nowthisimpact (1); @KimKatieUSA (2); American Jobs (3, 4, 7, 8, 9, 10); U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (5, 6); The Washington Post (11); Department of Homeland Security (12); Slate (13); The New York Times (14); @Bill Melugin_ (15)
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