In an effort to attract more recruits, United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) is touting its student loan forgiveness program, along with up to $50,000 in signing bonuses.
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said the benefits were possible because of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA), but loan forgiveness has been the agency’s policy since the Biden administration, which expanded repayments in an effort to attract new agents.
Why It Matters
Touting student loan forgiveness for ICE recruits comes as the Trump administration has sought to overturn former President Joe Biden‘s student loan forgiveness policies, some of which are on hold because of legal proceedings. The Department of Education has said it needs to reevaluate how it will restart the programs, if at all.
Spencer Platt/Getty Images/DHS
What To Know
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) said Tuesday that it launched its recruitment campaign to seek out “brave and heroic Americans” to enforce immigration laws, specifically arresting and detaining suspected illegal immigrants.
Under the OBBBA, ICE has been allowed to hire thousands more agents and offer signing and retention bonuses to deliver on President Donald Trump‘s promise of mass deportations.
While student loan repayment and forgiveness programs are not new and apply to many federal government workers, the offer could be appealing at a time when more widespread programs have been put on hold.
The Biden-era plans—SAVE, Income-Contingent Repayment (ICR), and Pay As You Earn (PAYE)—are on hold as of July because of court challenges regarding claims that Congress overstepped its authority by offering student loan forgiveness.
When Trump’s reconciliation bill was signed into law in early July, warnings were raised about the impact on college graduates, with the Student Debt Crisis Center saying that about 45 million Americans could be impacted by adjustments to various programs, as well as new repayment plans and caps on loans.
As for ICE, the agency has been empowered by the Trump White House to take bolder action on immigration enforcement, with a sharp rise in detentions under the previous budget and larger, targeted actions in communities across the U.S.
Despite this, there has also been pressure to drastically increase deportation numbers, with the new budget likely to aid the effort once staffing is increased.
What People Are Saying
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, in a press release: “Your country is calling you to serve at ICE. In the wake of the Biden administration’s failed immigration policies, your country needs dedicated men and women of ICE to get the worst of the worst criminals out of our country.”
President Donald Trump, on Truth Social: “We need MORE courageous men and women to, MAKE AMERICA SAFE AGAIN. Join ICE now. We will take GREAT care of you, just like you take care of us!”
What Happens Next
DHS said recruitment materials would be distributed across major U.S. cities, with recruitment fairs and college campuses also targeted.
