DHS Lifts Age Limits for ICE Hiring to Boost Enforcement

The Department of Homeland Security, under the Trump administration, has removed age restrictions for new hires at Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to expand recruitment amid a significant budget increase from Congress. This change allows applicants as young as 18 to apply for roles such as deportation officers, investigators, and attorneys, whereas previously the minimum age was 21 and maximum age limits ranged from 37 to 40 depending on the position. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem emphasized that there is no longer an upper age limit and highlighted the agency's recruitment campaign, which includes incentives like up to $50,000 signing bonuses, student loan forgiveness, enhanced retirement benefits, and overtime pay. The recruitment drive aims to hire 10,000 new ICE officers to support the administration’s aggressive deportation agenda. All new hires must still pass medical, drug, and physical fitness screenings. Noem described the new policy as a way to enlist "more patriots" to join ICE in its mission to arrest criminal illegal aliens and protect American families.