ICE ads airing in Sacramento aim to recruit local law enforcement, promise big incentives
By Steve Large
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SACRAMENTO, California (KOVR) — United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement recruitment ads are airing in Sacramento and across the country, promising big incentives for law enforcement officers to leave their jobs and transfer to ICE.
The ICE recruitment ads that are airing in Sacramento, including in CBS Sacramento’s commercial breaks, are meant to attract the attention of local law enforcement officers.
“Attention Sacramento law enforcement, you took an oath to protect and serve, but in sanctuary cities, you’re ordered to stand down while dangerous illegals walk free,” one of the ads says.
ICE is airing ads in Democrat-led cities across the country, seeking law enforcement officers to transfer to their agency with six-figure salaries, student debt relief and a $50,000 signing bonus.
“This used to be a profession where you started at an agency and the majority of people stayed with that agency for life,” said Patrick High, the Stockton Police Officers Association president. “Maybe you changed one time in your career for one issue or another, but now it’s nothing for someone to jump from agency to agency to agency.”
High’s recruiting is also a year-round job. The ICE effort to attract officers is just one more competitor.
“They recruit at all the same places that we recruit,” he said. “We’re going to military bases, they’re going to military bases. We’re going to college campuses, they’re going to college campuses. They’re advertising at sporting events, they’re putting up billboards. So are we. So it comes down to like, what kind of job do you want to do?”
The ICE ads come as its enforcement is seeking to add 10,000 immigration agents by the end of the year.
Acting ICE director Todd Lyons says it’s partly for added protection during their raids.
“So we might have a team that goes out with four or five, six agents, now we’re having to double those numbers and send out a security team just for them,” Lyons said.
The ICE ads in Sacramento are currently set to run through the end of the month, although they could be extended.
President Trump’s recently passed budget bill included $75 billion extra for ICE, making it the highest-funded law enforcement agency in the federal government.
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