How Trump’s ICE may draw the wrong recruits

Now that the newly-signed One Big Beautiful Bill Act, President Donald Trump’s budget-busting bill, has become law, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement will rapidly grow its agent ranks. Its masked militia has traumatized peaceful communities, with particular terror aimed at the Latino population, by presenting no badges or identification, and by physically accosting and kidnapping both undocumented and legal U.S. residents without due process.

ICE’s evolving public-facing mission, which is increasingly spreading fear in American society, coupled with the expected increase in agents needed to carry out the Trump administration’s agenda, raises the question: What kind of person will seek to join ICE?

Before the first Trump administration, ICE agents were typically motivated by integrity, courage, resilience, and a strong sense of duty and allegiance to the Constitution. Idealism and a sense of purpose were essential to balancing the gravity of their mission, and humility tempered the power dynamic inherent in law enforcement work. Agents require complex skills and knowledge, including cultural awareness and respect for civil liberties, as well as the necessary skills and training to maintain civility and safety during their missions. 

Today’s missions and subsequent behavior of many ICE agents are a far cry from those of the past. Trump has spent the last decade maligning immigrants in the United States, often with fabricated stories to create fear within communities and foster xenophobic hatred among his supporters. This paved the way for harsh, and sometimes sadistic, policies involving aggressive raids, warrantless detentions, family separations and imprisonment under conditions condemned by human rights groups.

The pressure from the Trump administration to meet detention quotas and to enter peaceful communities in full tactical gear has been well-described. Bystanders have recorded videos of unidentifiable, masked agents in unmarked vehicles whisking people away without confirming the identities of their targets or informing the prisoners’ families of where they will be detained. These videos have entered the national conversation, leading to increased public scrutiny of ICE but altering the perception of this organization’s culture. 

The attention given to ICE raids, along with the empowerment bestowed upon the agency, may influence and alter the type of candidate for our next generation of agents. Instead of the ideals listed above, people eager to assume authoritative roles and participate in policies that emphasize dominance and public brutality may be attracted to the agency. Today’s ICE recruits may not be driven by a sense of noble duty or ethics but by the opportunity to exert power over vulnerable people, deriving satisfaction from the suffering they cause. 

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The One Big Beautiful Bill Act significantly boosts funding for ICE to implement Trump’s cruel anti-immigrant agenda. Resources allocated to ICE will exceed those of most militaries, indicating that strict immigration enforcement is prioritized over traditional national defense concerns. A surge of new agents is inevitable if the agency is to be significantly expanded. With the change in the type of recruit expected, their loyalty is more likely to be rooted in Trump himself than in the principles of the Constitution. New agents may not view themselves as ethical public servants, but rather as followers driven by anger and retribution, which can result in unchecked sadism. 

The mindset and motivation of these kinds of ICE agents have created serious risks to human rights and constitutional values. An agency increasing its ranks with people who demonstrate authoritarian and punitive traits poses a clear threat to civil liberties and the rule of law. That risk grows when loyalty shifts from the Constitution to a charismatic, authoritarian leader like Trump. Historically, this mirrors how oppressive security forces, such as Hitler’s Gestapo, rose to power, starting with seemingly lawful agencies that gradually became corrupted by sadistic personalities and political loyalty.

America stands on the brink of a new era of fascism, and the evolution of ICE under Donald Trump may be part of the means used to spread fear and suppress dissent. The tools of unrestricted cruelty toward immigrants — legal or otherwise — can be turned against lawful American citizens. The president’s statements about revoking the citizenship of political opponents he disagrees with show this is more than just speculation; it’s something he has considered as he continues to consolidate power and increase his authority. Unless this trajectory is changed, we risk seeing ICE transformed from a law enforcement agency into a force that resembles a private militia or secret police, loyal to Trump above all else.

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