Good news everyone
Good news everyone
cross-posted from: https://lemmy.world/post/42572586
ICE Employees Vent on Reddit, Saying They're Not Getting Paid and Still No Insurance Despite Promises
Thea Felicity 6–7 minutes
US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) is facing an unusual wave of internal backlash after employees began publicly accusing the agency of failing to pay salaries and activate health insurance weeks after recruitment.
Despite a historic recruitment drive that added 12,000 agents in recently, the agency's administrative backbone appears to be buckling, with employees desperate enough to turn to the Reddit to detail their struggles.
In raw, unfiltered Reddit posts now spreading beyond law-enforcement circles, ICE officers describe going a month or more without a paycheque, struggling to secure medical cover for sick children, and watching promised bonuses quietly stall.
As immigration enforcement intensifies nationally, critics argue the complaints raise uncomfortable questions about how an agency tasked with enforcing the law is allegedly struggling to meet its most basic obligations to its own workforce.
One officer reported being unable to cover medical costs for a sick child due to a coverage gap, while others claim five-figure signing bonuses have not materialised. This benefits breakdown comes at a critical time as the agency ramps up enforcement activity, leaving front-line staff questioning the government's ability to manage the very workforce it spent millions to recruit.
What began as routine onboarding complaints has now snowballed into a viral reckoning about how a major US federal agency manages its workforce while aggressively expanding enforcement operations. As screenshots circulate across social platforms, critics argue the issue is no longer bureaucratic delay but institutional dysfunction, raising uncomfortable questions about morale, accountability and the human cost of America's immigration enforcement machine. Reddit Becomes an Outlet for ICE Staff
The unofficial private subreddit, r/ICE_ERO, serves as a forum for ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) employees to share experiences and advice.
Although not officially affiliated with the agency, the forum attracts hundreds of officers who discuss career concerns and operational challenges.
One post, shared by a new employee, explained that despite being on the job for two months, they still had no health insurance and were struggling to cover medical costs for a sick child.
Other posts also complained about their confusion about bonuses and pay schedules. One officer noted a bonus of around £4,950 ($6,000) after taxes, but complained that deductions reduced the net payout to £4,125 ($5,000), showing frustration with payroll processes.
Another user lamented, 'Monday is four weeks since I started and I haven't been paid yet', emphasising that delayed payments were not an isolated case. The Promises the US Govt Gave to ICE Applicants
Prospective ICE applicants are recruited with the promise of competitive federal salaries and a comprehensive benefits package.
Salaries vary by role and experience but generally follow the federal General Schedule (GS) scale, with entry‑level Deportation Officers typically in the £40,000–£70,000 range ($51,600–$84,000) and opportunities to rise significantly with seniority and locality adjustments.
Officers can also receive Administratively Uncontrollable Overtime pay, which adds approximately 25% to base pay for law enforcement duties.
In addition to pay, recruits are offered extensive benefits including health, dental, vision, and life insurance, a retirement plan under the Federal Employees Retirement System, a Thrift Savings Plan similar to a 401(k), paid leave and federal holidays.
Recent incentive packages also include signing bonuses of up to £40,000 ($50,000), student loan repayment incentives up to £48,000 ($60,000), and retention bonuses for continuing service, aimed at boosting recruitment and retention. Critics Question How ICE Employees Stomach Their Job
Commenters on the posts chimed in on the discussions, asking how ICE employees weren't aware they were being duped by the federal agency into hiring more people: 'how stupid do you have to be to think you're actually going to get paid by this administration lmao'.
One user quipped that agents 'do it for the violence, not the money', implying that their motivations were more about power than pay, implying that they deserve what they tolerate. Others in the thread also labelled ICE personnel with hostile language and attacked the organisation as a 'criminal mob'.
Many users expressed disdain for the agency's mission or tactics, with responses ranging from accusations of cruelty to calls for accountability and frustration over their 'ignorance'.
One commenter described their situation as deserving, saying the job is 'breaking into people's houses and kidnapp[ing] people from school and their workplace as standard operating procedure'.
Another critic wrote that it was 'like working for the Gestapo for a month without pay', using a historical analogy to Nazi secret police to emphasise the violence carried out by ICE operations. The comment also mocks the idea of performing such violent and stressful duties without reliable compensation, 'selling out your fellow man to the ruling class will never pay off, and these idiots are learning that the hard way'.
An X user summed up the whole thread, saying, 'No one's getting that bonus. It's not gonna happen'.
Despite the vitriol, the operational impact is a serious concern for the government. With net migration projected to hit record lows in 2026, the reliance on these 12,000 new agents is absolute. If the agency cannot resolve the payroll and health insurance crisis immediately, it faces a massive retention failure that could derail national enforcement targets.
As the posts continue to circulate on social media, pressure is likely to grow for ICE and the Department of Homeland Security to clarify whether the problems stem from administrative bottlenecks or broader mismanagement.