The Coast Guard and the Citizenship and Immigration Services are also reporting record interest from candidates.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has received over 200,000 job applications, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) said in an X post on Nov. 7.
ICE has received more than 200,000 applications from patriotic Americans who want to defend the homeland by removing the worst of the worst criminal illegal aliens from the U.S.
— Secretary Kristi Noem (@Sec_Noem) November 7, 2025
Americans are answering their country's call to serve and help remove murderers, pedophiles, rapists,…
“Americans are answering their country’s call to serve and help remove murderers, pedophiles, rapists, terrorists, and gang members from our country,” DHS Secretary Kristi Noem said.
The ICE’s “Defend the Homeland” recruitment drive was launched by DHS on July 29. The effort is backed by funding from the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, which has set aside $170 billion for border security and immigration enforcement initiatives.
ICE was allocated $76.5 billion—almost 10 times the agency’s typical annual budget—in funding, out of which $30 billion is set to go towards hiring 10,000 additional staff members, with the agency aiming to deport a million illegal immigrants annually.
The ICE is offering a “robust package” of incentives for recruited individuals, including up to $50,000 in signing bonuses, enhanced retirement benefits, and student loan repayment and forgiveness options, according to the DHS.
In August, the DHS announced it was removing age limits for ICE recruits. Earlier, DHS required applicants to be at least 21 years of age and no more than 40 years old.
ICE isn’t the only agency under DHS reporting a surge in applications.
In a Nov. 7 X post, the U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) said it achieved “record-breaking” recruiting results.
@uscg achieves record-breaking recruiting results.
— U.S. Coast Guard (@USCG) November 7, 2025
•5,900+ enlisted members – best recruiting since 1991
•121% of FY2025 active-duty goal achieved
•Largest officer target ever met (370+)
Through Force Design 2028 and unprecedented investment, the Coast Guard is leading the… pic.twitter.com/ZF8bOHnw2a
Over 5,900 members have enlisted with the USCG, which the agency said were the “best recruiting” numbers since 1991. USCG has achieved 121 percent of its active-duty target goal for fiscal year 2025, it said.
“Through Force Design 2028 and unprecedented investment, the Coast Guard is leading the military services in recruiting,” USCG said.
The Force Design 2028 plan aims to renew the Coast Guard, making it a more “agile, capable, and responsive fighting force,” according to the USCG website.
The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has also received an “overwhelming” 35,000-plus applications since launching its hiring campaign on Sept. 30, DHS said. This is the “most for any position in agency history,” it said.
