Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) is allocating millions to enlist the perpetually online as deportation agents, based on internal communications examined by the Washington Post. The agency’s $100 million promotional initiative, detailed in a 30-page document distributed to ICE officials this summer, entails a robust effort to infiltrate the digital domain with geo-targeted and content-driven advertising. The strategy pinpoints specific platforms, such as Snapchat, Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, Substack, and Rumble, a favored “alt-tech” video platform among conservatives.
Recruitment advertisements under this initiative aim to reach users near military installations, NASCAR events, UFC matches, college campuses, or gun and trade exhibitions, as well as followers of “patriotic” podcasts, country music enthusiasts, fitness aficionados, and true crime fans. A crucial component of the strategy involves recruiting influencers, commentators, and live streamers to magnify ICE’s message, with $8 million designated for a new influencer initiative, according to the Washington Post. Online creators participating in the program would be compensated approximately $1,500.
Although the agency has yet to achieve its $100 million advertising goal, there is already a discernible movement into online and entertainment realms, embracing TV and streaming advertisements, social media initiatives, and celebrity endorsements. In October, numerous Spotify users protested the app for hosting ICE recruitment slogans and due to CEO Daniel Ek’s financial connections to companies developing AI technology for the military.
Department of Homeland Security (DHS) spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin informed the Washington Post that the agency was “excited” about the coverage of the “extraordinarily successful ICE recruitment campaign, which is below budget and ahead of timeline.” She did not contest the information within the document.
Officials and community members have voiced concerns regarding ICE’s conventional advertising techniques, including public campaigns and propaganda efforts that many believe are instilling undue fear among communities.
During the Trump administration, federal immigration authorities adopted extreme, high-risk strategies to fulfill deportation objectives mandated by the president, involving intermittently violent operations in regions far from the border. U.S. Customs and Border Patrol chief Greg Bovino characterized the unprecedented actions of ICE agents as a new “turn and burn” tactic, employing methods usually reserved for serious offenders against families and individuals not suspected of violent crimes.
ICE is reportedly poised to recruit tens of thousands of new agents in the upcoming months due to its “surge hiring marketing strategy,” incentivized by significant signing bonuses and elevated salaries stemming from Trump’s Big Beautiful Bill. The agency has also relaxed requirements for new recruits. DHS indicated that it has received over 200,000 job applications in the past five months, with McLaughlin noting that most applicants are former law enforcement personnel.
Former officials assert that the extent of raids and nationwide recruitment is unprecedented, according to a report in the Idaho Statesman.