ICE agents, particularly those who are brand new to the job, are allegedly finding out that the huge signing bonuses and stable paychecks they were promised are either severely delayed or just completely missing, as reported by Daily Dot. Agents have been venting online about stalled health insurance, missing monthly paychecks, and bonuses that simply failed to materialize.
This massive internal issue is hitting the agency right after a major recruitment drive. The U.S. government brought in roughly 12,000 new agents, selling them on the promise of career stability and competitive compensation. The financial incentives were huge, too. Agents were offered signing bonuses that climbed up to $50K, and student loan repayment incentives that reached $60K. Retention bonuses were also advertised as a way to keep experienced staff in place.
However, recent posts circulating online suggest that many of these lucrative offers either lagged far behind the agents’ start dates or failed to appear in their bank accounts at all. One officer complained about the pay delay, writing that they were four weeks into the job without receiving a single paycheck. They said, “Monday is four weeks since I started and I haven’t been paid yet.” And all of this is coming amid eroding support for ICE from the Republicans.
Many ICE agents feel stuck in a high-stress job where they aren’t even receiving basic compensation or benefits
Worse yet, another new hire vented online that after two months on the job, they still hadn’t secured the health insurance they desperately needed to care for their sick child. Seriously, this is a terrible way to treat people who have relocated and committed to a new career based on official government promises. Providing health coverage, especially in a situation involving a sick child, should be the absolute bare minimum, and the fact that it’s taking months is unacceptable.
Even when a bonus does arrive, it’s often a fraction of what was expected, leaving agents scratching their heads over the math. One agent mentioned receiving a bonus of around $6K before taxes, but after deductions, the actual payout was only about $5K.
But here’s the real kicker: the fine print on those contracts. While agents were waiting for their promised money to show up, they were apparently signing documents that lock them into the agency for an extended period, creating a true financial trap. But given ICE’s current reputation, they aren’t exactly in a place to amass public support for their demands.
As one user, @xcxxcxcxv, pointed out on X, the contracts contain a massive catch that most new hires likely missed. According to @xcxxcxcxv, “They didn’t read the fine print, which states they have to be there 5 years in order to get the full bonus. The contract states if they leave before 5 years, they need to REPAY any overtime, bonuses & hotel stays during employment Most won’t be able to afford to quit. It’s a trap.”
Agents have been venting their frustrations in online forums, including screenshots circulating from the locked subreddit r/ICE_ERO. This unofficial space serves as a platform for current Deportation Officers, prospective applicants, and retirees to discuss their jobs, and it’s clearly full of agents who feel misled and exploited.
Published: Feb 4, 2026 02:30 pm