The U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agency is preparing to hire approximately 5,000 new employees by the end of the year to support an intensified deportation effort under the current administration. According to multiple sources familiar with the plan, the hiring surge would increase ICE’s workforce by roughly 17 percent, bolstered by substantial new funding approved by Congress.

ICE’s workforce has already expanded significantly since President Donald Trump took office, growing by about 8,000 to approximately 29,000 employees as of July, based on federal data. The majority of the new recruits are expected to be deportation officers involved in a range of enforcement duties, including apprehending individuals targeted for removal and managing related casework.

In recent months, ICE has escalated its enforcement actions with a more aggressive arrest campaign supported by more than $100 billion in congressional funding allocated to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). This escalation has resulted in increased operational demands on personnel, with agents reportedly pressured to work seven days a week and offices reallocating staff toward immigration enforcement.

The previous large-scale hiring effort, which began last year, faced criticism for its rapid pace and insufficient initial vetting of new officers. By spring, hundreds of these hires had been dismissed due to vetting concerns. In response, ICE plans to implement more stringent hiring standards for the current recruitment drive. However, it remains uncertain whether the agency will be able to adequately screen and onboard such a large number of applicants without encountering similar issues.

Deborah Fleischaker, who served as acting chief of staff at ICE during the Biden administration, emphasized the importance of thorough background checks. “Adequately vetting people takes time,” she said, cautioning that accuracy is more critical than speed in the hiring process.

The Department of Homeland Security issued a statement clarifying that the new hiring initiative stems from recently allocated funding and is not linked to attrition from the previous recruitment wave. The department maintained that it intends to uphold rigorous standards in selecting new personnel.