ICE is leaning hard on recruitment, but immigration experts say that could come at a price

ICE is using signing bonuses and an endorsement by actor Dean Cain to encourage Americans to join its ranks. Experts doubt that it will improve public safety.

Immigration and Customs Enforcement is pushing the message that it wants “patriotic Americans” to join its ranks — and that new perks come with signing up.

The agency enforcing President Donald Trump’s plans for mass deportations is promising new recruits maximum $50,000 signing bonuses over three years, up to $60,000 in federal student loan repayments and retirement benefits. ICE announced this week it is waiving age requirements and, on Wednesday, actor Dean Cain, who played Superman in “Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman,” announced on social media that he was joining the ranks of ICE as an honorary officer.

“I felt it was important to join with our first responders to help secure the safety of all Americans, not just talk about it, so I joined up,” Cain said. He encouraged others to join ICE as officers, touting the job’s salary and benefits.

The possibility of monetary benefits and the celebrity endorsement have experts concerned. They fear the recruitment push could endanger public safety if it takes local police away from their communities, removes important personnel from other critical missions or cuts corners in the rush to hire.

Immigration and law enforcement experts also said the hiring push does not reflect the public safety threat posed by unauthorized immigrants, as recent data shows many people who have been arrested by ICE during the Trump administration do not have criminal histories. One in 5 people ICE apprehended in street arrests was a Latino with no criminal history or removal orders, according to an analysis of new ICE data by the Cato Institute, a libertarian public policy think tank.