ICE is preparing a $100 million recruitment drive it describes internally as a "wartime" effort to reach UFC fans, gun-rights supporters and conservative-media consumers, according to The Washington Post. The 30-page plan calls for geo-targeted ads, influencer partnerships (at least $8M) and geofencing near military bases, sporting events and campuses. ICE projects more than 5,000 applicants from influencer outreach, with an estimated $1,500 per applicant. DHS says the effort has already produced 220,000+ applications and 18,000+ tentative offers.
ICE Launches $100M ‘Wartime’ Recruitment Push Targeting UFC Fans, Gun Owners and Conservative Media Audiences
ICE
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) is preparing a sweeping $100 million recruitment campaign described in an internal 30-page document as a “wartime” effort to attract applicants from audiences such as UFC attendees, gun-rights supporters and consumers of conservative media, The Washington Post reports.
What the Plan Entails
The document, reviewed by Post reporters Drew Harwell and Joyce Sohyun Lee, outlines a multi-platform strategy that would "flood the market" with geo-targeted digital ads, influencer partnerships and programmatic placements across social media, podcasts and streaming services. Platforms named in the plan include Snapchat and Rumble, and the strategy calls for live-stream placements and targeted advertising to people who have attended UFC events or shown interest in firearms, tactical gear, or "patriotic" content.
Targeting Tactics
ICE proposes using geofencing technology to serve ads to devices that pass near sites such as military bases, NASCAR events, college campuses and gun or trade shows. Ads would also be directed at users whose online behavior signals interest in "conservative news and politics," "physical training," or "military and veterans' affairs."
Budget And Recruitment Goals
The agency plans to allocate at least $8 million for influencer partnerships and estimates the program could generate more than 5,000 applicants—at an approximate cost of $1,500 per applicant. The broader $100 million figure covers the full, multi-channel campaign described in the internal document.
ICE’s recruitment website reportedly says: "America has been invaded by criminals and predators. We need YOU to get them out."
Context And Reaction
The campaign arrives after Congress substantially increased ICE’s enforcement and deportation funding—reported at roughly $30 billion—as the agency seeks to expand operations and meet stated enforcement goals. ICE employs more than 20,000 people and is recruiting over 10,000 additional officers, offering signing bonuses up to $50,000.
Former ICE Director Sarah Saldaña warned the Post that the campaign’s tone and speed risk attracting applicants more motivated by combat or aggression than by traditional public-service aims. "That mentality you’re fostering tends to inculcate in people a certain aggressiveness that may not be necessary in 85 percent of what you do," she said.
A Department of Homeland Security spokesperson did not dispute the document’s figures and described the effort as "wildly successful," saying the agency received more than 220,000 applications in five months and extended over 18,000 tentative job offers.
Why It Matters
The plan raises questions about recruitment ethics, the use of highly targeted digital advertising by federal law-enforcement agencies, and how framing law-enforcement duties in martial or combative language could affect organizational culture and public perception. Critics say the messaging risks normalizing a militarized mindset; supporters argue it is a response to expanded enforcement mandates.
