Pentagon encourages civilian employees to join DHS immigration efforts

The Pentagon Encourages Civilian Employees to Assist with Immigration Efforts

The Pentagon is urging its civilian employees to volunteer and assist the Department of Homeland Security in their immigration efforts, according to a recent report from Fox News.

The Defense Department sent out an email to its nearly 950,000 civilian employees, informing them that they have the opportunity to apply for temporary positions with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Customs and Border Protection (CBP).

“DHS and the DOD officially signed a memorandum of agreement allowing DOD civilians to participate in the detail,” a U.S. defense official told Fox News. “DOD civilian employees can now apply for these details via USAJOBS. The Department sent out an email to civilian employees encouraging them to apply.”

Extensive Overtime and Austere Conditions

The USAJOBS posting mentioned that there may be a need for extensive overtime and that conditions at some locations could be austere. ICE and CBP are prepared to cover all base pay, overtime, premium pay, and travel expenses for the volunteers.

Deployment Locations and Additional Staffing

Deployment locations for the volunteers include facilities along the U.S. border and ICE and CBP facilities across the interior of the country.

The Pentagon’s initiative comes as the Department of Homeland Security is in the process of hiring an additional 10,000 full-time ICE officers. Last week, the DHS received around 100,000 applications for these positions.

Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem requested the Pentagon to inform its civilian employees of the opportunity to work with ICE and CBP. (Getty Images/Alex Brandon)

“Your country is calling on you to serve at ICE and defend the Homeland,” said Acting ICE Director Todd Lyons. “In the wake of the Biden administration’s open border policies, the dedicated men and women of ICE now face unprecedented challenges in removing millions of criminal illegal aliens from our country.”

The recruitment drive comes as there has been a significant increase in assaults on agents, with riots and protests contributing to the surge, according to DHS data.

Gregory Bovino, Chief Patrol Agent of the El Centro Sector, leads federal agents in a show of force outside the Japanese American National Museum. (Getty Images/Carlin Stiehl)

To learn more about this initiative and how to apply, DOD civilians can visit USAJOBS.