ICE officer claims he makes $200K/year with a high-school diploma. And says he’d do the job ‘for free’ because he loves it. What agents really earn

The video begins with the two bystanders — a man and a woman — telling the alleged ICE agent that he “should be ashamed.” The ICE agent turns to them and states, “I love my job, thank you.”

When pressed, he adds, “I can’t believe I get paid for this. I’d do this for free.”

The female bystander then notes that she makes a $200,000 salary, though the background noise on the recording makes it difficult to discern her exact job title beyond the word “assistant.” Still, when she tells the ICE agent that she went to school for “over seven years” to earn that salary, the ICE agent responds with, “I went to high school and I make $200k.”

The video garnered more than 2.1 million views as of this writing, with numerous commenters expressing their own feelings on the subject. Some question whether the ICE agent would actually do the job for free, while others disputed the claim of a $200,000 salary.

So how much do ICE agents patrolling American cities actually make?

A closer look at ICE agent salaries

In a longer version of the same video, a tag with the designation “ERO” is visible on the front of the ICE officer’s vest (2).

ERO stands for Enforcement and Removal Operations and, while it’s difficult to be certain what his official position is based on the video, the evidence on his clothing and the fact that he’s out in the field among other law enforcement suggests that he would likely be a deportation officer.

Deportation officers are described on the official ICE job posting as providing support for work “related to immigration investigation, custody, identification and location, arrest, prosecution and deportation” (3). That includes assisting “with the apprehension of individuals that are accused of violating immigration or related laws.” In the longer version of the video, the ICE officer tells the two bystanders “I don’t care what they told you. If you guys get in my way, I will arrest you” (2).

The job posting lists the annual salary range for the position as between $51,632 and $84,277, which appears to invalidate the ICE officer’s claim of a $200,000 salary. It also notes that “a student loan repayment incentive may be available” to those who are hired in the position and adds that benefits can include “health, dental, vision, life, and long-term care insurance; retirement plan; Thrift Savings Plan [similar to a 401(k)]” and more (3).

Some positions, such as the homeland defender (immigration services officer) job, offer “up to $50,000 in signing and retention bonuses” (4). But such a perk isn’t mentioned under the deportation officer benefits.

As far as education, the posting says that candidates must show completion of a four-year bachelor’s degree or “combinations of successfully completed post-high school education and experience,” which “may be used to meet total qualification requirements.”

The official ICE recruitment homepage, however, specifically highlights front and center that “You do not need an undergraduate degree” (5). And a separate deportation officer job description specifically states that the basic requirements for the job are holding a U.S. citizenship and driver’s license, the ability to carry a firearm and to be under the age of 40 (6). So the officer’s claim of holding only a high school education could conceivably be true.

Meanwhile, other jobs posted to ICE’s official site, which would certainly require far more than a high school diploma, also fall short of the $200,000 per year salary mark. Those include an information technology specialist (up to $185,234 a year), a local chief dentist (up to $150,000 a year), and a supervisory accountant (up to $187,093 a year) (7, 8, 9). A general attorney for labor and employment law is listed as making up to $197,200 annually (10).

ICE is funded by the massive $76 billion allocation in the Republican “One Big Beautiful Bill” passed last year — increasing the department’s budget nearly tenfold. A bill adding another $10 billion into ICE’s coffers passed the House last week and is headed for the Senate (11).

Last year the Department of Homeland Security went on a hiring blitz with the funds, announcing the hiring of more than 12,000 ICE officers (12).

ICE’s recent hiring surge has also drawn scrutiny over how rigorously applicants are screened. In a recent first-person account for Slate, one former Army veteran said she advanced past an initial interview for a deportation officer role at an ICE recruitment event, despite no law-enforcement background and a public record sharply critical of the agency (13).

Not all ICE agents love their job as much as this one

While the ICE agent in the video says he loves his job and would “do this for free,” and the perks offered to new recruits sound enticing, multiple reports suggest that not all of his colleagues feel as content as him.