ICE runs TV ads in Chicago to recruit agents

WASHINGTON, (WTVO) — U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement is spending millions on television ads in cities like Chicago, aiming to recruit local law enforcement officers amid growing tensions over immigration enforcement.

The ads are part of a $30 billion initiative to hire 10,000 deportation officers by year’s end, a key element of the Trump administration’s push to ramp up deportations. The campaign has aired in more than a dozen other cities, including Seattle, Atlanta and Boston, and is funded through a broader $76.5 billion request for ICE under a tax and spending bill passed in July.

Chicago officials have been outspoken in their opposition to increased immigration enforcement. The city has been repeatedly criticized by the Trump administration for policies that limit cooperation with federal immigration authorities. ICE has conducted crackdowns in the area, and local leaders have resisted efforts to expand federal reach.

The 30-second ads began airing in mid-September and feature city skylines and a narrator addressing local officers directly: “Attention, Miami law enforcement,” one ad begins. The message is consistent across markets, urging officers to “join ICE and help us catch the worst of the worst: drug traffickers, gang members, predators,” according to ad-tracking service AdImpact.

As of Monday, ICE had spent more than $6.5 million on the campaign. Seattle saw the highest spending since mid-September at $853,745, while Atlanta led last week with more than $947,000.

“You took an oath to protect and serve, to keep your family, your city, safe,” the narrator says in one ad. “But in sanctuary cities, you’re ordered to stand down while dangerous illegals walk free.”

ICE is offering signing bonuses of up to $50,000 and benefits such as tuition reimbursement to attract recruits. The agency says it has received more than 150,000 applications and extended 18,000 tentative job offers since the campaign began.

Albuquerque, New Mexico, one of the smallest metro areas targeted, has also drawn attention. Mayor Tim Keller signed an executive order in July barring city employees from assisting federal authorities with civil immigration enforcement unless legally required.

The Department of Homeland Security declined to explain why specific cities were chosen for the ads. There is no standard definition of a sanctuary jurisdiction, though the term generally refers to areas that limit cooperation with ICE. Some, but not all, of the cities appear on a Justice Department list of jurisdictions that “impede enforcement of federal immigration laws.”

In Philadelphia, police Capt. John Walker said it’s too early to tell whether the ads have affected recruiting. He believes the campaign is more about optics than staffing.

“It’s the psychological feel. You want to know that there are cops out there because it makes you feel good,” Walker said. “That’s all this is — strengthening the belief that they’re doing something.”

Law enforcement agencies nationwide are struggling to meet staffing demands, and ICE’s incentives are raising concerns among local departments. In San Antonio, Texas, Police Officers Association President Danny Diaz said the ads could lure away potential recruits.

“We can’t compete with a $50,000 signing bonus,” Diaz said. “I do think that the younger generation will jump on that.”

Diaz added that the ongoing government shutdown could complicate ICE’s recruitment efforts.

“They’re furloughing federal employees, and I don’t think individuals want to leave one department to go work for a federal agency when they don’t know if they’re going to receive a check or not,” he said.

Most police departments contacted by the AP declined to comment or said they had not seen officers leave for ICE positions. Departments in Sacramento and Miami reported no noticeable impact.