Democrats in four states seek to bar ICE employees from future civil service jobs

Bills aim to make ICE employees ineligible for jobs in law enforcement, public education and state civil service

Supercharged by billions in dollars from Congress, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has hired thousands of new officers to carry out Donald Trump’s mass deportation campaign in an effort it has likened to “wartime recruitment”. In several states, Democratic lawmakers want applicants to think twice about taking part.

Bills introduced in recent weeks in the legislatures of at least four Democratic-led states would impose long-term consequences on new ICE employees by rendering them ineligible for jobs in law enforcement, public education, and, in their most expansive form, the entire state civil service.

None of the proposals has been signed into law, and potential legislation may face legal challenges. The bills nonetheless underscore Democratic state lawmaker’s determination to undermine Trump’s hardline immigration policy, even as a similar effort in Congress that has resulted in the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) shutting down faces uncertain prospects.