ICE targets NYPD officers with ads claiming the agency offers ‘respect’

Federal immigration authorities are trying to poach New York City police officers with social media ads that suggest the NYPD doesn't respect them or their families.

"Join an agency that respects you, your family and your commitment to serving in law enforcement," reads the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement ad, posted to the agency’s social media pages and aimed directly at NYPD officers.

The pitch links to a recruitment page declaring "America has been invaded by criminals and predators" and promising signing bonuses up to $50,000.

The ads come as the NYPD faces persistent staffing struggles, as the Trump administration rolls out aggressive deportation operations and as tensions between the city and federal government escalate.

Spokespeople for ICE and the NYPD did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

ICE’s offer may appeal more to emotions than wallets. Though the agency is promising up to $50,000 in signing bonuses, it can’t match the high earning potential NYPD officers can reach with overtime.

ICE job listings for experienced deportation officers in New York start at $63,000, with a top range of $163,000. But NYPD officers regularly surpass that.

More than 3,900 department employees made more than $200,000 last year, according to state payroll records. Twenty-one officers topped $300,000.

In addition to the bonus, ICE’s recruitment pitch includes up to $60,000 in student loan repayment, a 25% premium pay incentive and no college degree requirement, which the NYPD also recently reduced.

Jillian Snider, a former NYPD officer who now teaches at John Jay College of Criminal Justice, said the $50,000 bonus is “huge” and virtually unheard of in law enforcement circles.

While the NYPD has long offered greater prestige, Snider said ICE has gained a different kind of notoriety.

“There is a kind of media-frenzied prestige right now about ICE that ultimately will dwindle,” she said.

For some officers, the bigger incentive might be working outside an NYPD overseen by Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani, a democratic socialist who won Tuesday’s election.

“They don’t want to work somewhere where they think everything they do is going to be scrutinized, everything they do is going to be criticized, everything they do is going to be interpreted through a really negative lens,” Snider said.

The poaching attempt comes ahead of what could be a tense relationship between City Hall and the police department. Mamdani, who apologized to officers for calling them racist and homophobic in 2020, has said he wants to limit police authority over discipline and expand the power of civilian watchdogs.

A spokesperson for Mamdani did not respond to a request for comment. He has said he wants NYPD officers to focus on solving serious crime instead of responding to most mental health calls.

Public Advocate Jumaane Williams called ICE’s effort “gross” and accused the agency of exploiting fears about Mamdani’s stance toward the police.

Williams also defended Mamdani’s approach, saying the city needs a real conversation about police oversight.

“It’s that kind of lying and pushback that we experienced with the last administration that makes this conversation needlessly hard,” he said.

Murad Awawdeh, president and CEO of the New York Immigration Coalition, described the ads as divisive.

“The Trump administration has no interest in keeping New Yorkers safe," he said. "This ridiculous recruitment strategy is designed to sow division among rank and file officers. No New Yorker committed to public safety would ever consider joining a rogue, unaccountable agency that terrorizes New York communities."

Patrick Hendry, president of the Police Benevolent Association union, said ICE's targeted ads reflect a deeper problem.

“Every law enforcement agency in the country knows that our members are overworked, underpaid and subjected to endless demonization and second-guessing,” he said. “We need our city leaders to work with us on fixing those issues. Otherwise, more talented cops will walk out the door.”

The NYPD currently has nearly 1,300 vacancies and is struggling to keep pace with attrition. Commissioner Jessica Tisch earlier this year said the city was “begging” people to join the force, prompting the department to lower education requirements from 60 college credits to 24 and drop the minimum age from 25 to 20.5 years old.

Outgoing Mayor Eric Adams last week announced plans to hire 5,000 additional officers by 2028, despite the department’s inability to maintain its current headcount of about 35,000. The NYPD currently has about 33,700 officers.