By Rebecca Santana
Associated Press
WASHINGTON — The Department of Homeland Security said Wednesday that it is removing age limits for new hires at the agency responsible for immigration enforcement, as it aims to expand hiring after a budget boost from Congress.
The department said in a news release that it would waive age limits for new applicants so “even more patriots will qualify to join ICE,” the agency responsible for finding, arresting, detaining and removing people who are in the U.S. illegally.
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The agency is at the center of the Trump administration’s efforts to carry out President Donald Trump’s mass deportation plan. Earlier this summer Congress passed a spending bill that gives ICE money to hire 10,000 more staff.
Currently, ICE applicants must be 21 years old and no older than 37 or 40, depending on what position they are applying for.
In an interview with Fox & Friends, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said applicants could be as young as 18.
“We no longer have a cap on how old you can be or you can continue at age 18, sign up for ICE and join us and be a part of it. We’ll get you trained and ready to be equipped to go out on the streets and help protect families,” Noem said.
The department said all recruits would have to go through medical and drug screening and complete a physical fitness test.
One post was accompanied by an image that looked like a recruiting poster showing images of a young man and an older man, both wearing military style tactical gear and holding weapons with the words “NO AGE CAP JOIN ICE NOW” emblazoned on the bottom. “We’re taking father/son bonding to a whole new level,” it said.
Another showed an advertisement for a Ford Club Wagon — a large van once popular for how many people it could carry — with the words: “Think about how many criminal illegal aliens you could fit in this bad boy?”
Written at the bottom of the image was the words “Want to deport illegals with your absolute boys?”
ICE earlier announced a recruiting campaign aimed at finding and hiring the deportation officers, investigators and lawyers it will need to meet its hiring goals.
As part of that campaign the agency is offering an eye-catching bonus of up to $50,000 for new recruits as well as other benefits like student loan forgiveness and abundant overtime for deportation officers.
Do you believe there should be age limits for ICE recruits?
Police1 readers respond
- This is great news! This change will now allow seasoned people to join ICE. Age brings experience and better judgement, which reduces liability and enhances decision making to an entirely new level. As long as someone can perform the task (duty), age should never be a factor for hiring LEOs.
- They should raise the high end age cap so retired military veterans and law enforcement officers can get back into the game.
- I am a trooper in a state without an upper age limit and it seems people self select for the most part and those that can hack it make it. Age is so relative. Why discriminate on age when fitness is the real issue?
- Depending on the position, it should be taken on a case by case basis. For example, a younger applicant can respond to the initial grueling demands of working the streets. A more seasoned applicant with investigative experience can still be useful as an investigator. I believe everyone has specific skills that can be useful to the department.
- For 18 year olds, I think there should be bridge positions to prepare them for the academy with duties that do not have arrest authority. As long as older applicants meet the physical and other requirements, age should not be an issue. Otherwise ICE might risk DEI accusations — giving preferential treatment to young people.
- I believe age limits are an archaic metric. People should be judged on their character and abilities, not how many birthdays they’ve had.
- I agree with the age restriction removal for ages over 37. This allows more mature officers, who are familiar with the laws of arrest, search and seizure, along with probable cause. Especially seasoned former LEOS who are able to continue respectful service to communities the are protecting. I don’t agree with the ages under 21 as most individuals who is 18 cannot make a decision on what to eat for breakfast let alone make critical decisions in an operation involving people. In working both the military and LE, I found that even those who are in their early 20s have difficulty making real-world decisions in rapidly developing situations.
- No, I do not think it should be an age limit, because you might miss out on the experienced officers. I am a police officer in Indianapolis and I am 64 years old and i am in better shape than probably half the department. After servicing in the Marines as a Military Police Officer, I joined IMPD in 1986. I retired in 2019 and came back as a Reserve Officer. If a person can pass all the testing, than don’t allow age to hold them back.
