SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) is investing millions in a new television advertising campaign that targets law enforcement officers in various metro areas across the country. According to an Associated Press report, this campaign aims to recruit local officers who are frustrated with their cities' limitations on immigration enforcement in connection to President Trump's mass deportation initiatives.
The ad campaign features a narrator prompting officers to reconnect with their duty: “You took an oath to protect and serve, to keep your family, your city, safe,” as images of urban law enforcement interplay with scenes of ICE agents. The advertisements convey a message that in sanctuary cities, officers are prevented from enforcing immigration laws while “dangerous illegals walk free.” This campaign is a part of ICE's $30 billion initiative, which seeks to hire 10,000 additional deportation officers by year-end.
Having launched in mid-September, ads have aired in more than a dozen cities, including Chicago, Seattle, Atlanta, and others, with the campaign costing over $5.7 million so far. Cities like Boston and Chicago, where such ads are running, have been vocal critics of the Trump administration's enforcement strategies.
ICE’s advertising strategy focuses on recruiting local police officers by offering attractive bonuses of up to $50,000, in an effort to respond to staffing shortages faced by many police departments across the country. Local law enforcement officials have noted concerns that the financial allure of ICE is strong enough to draw prospective recruits away from municipal police departments.
Despite the ongoing government shutdown casting doubt over ICE’s recruitment ambitions, the agency continues to push its ad campaign, aimed at fostering the belief that the government prioritizes action against illegal immigration. Many police departments remain uncertain of the campaign's impact, still monitoring its effects on their own recruitment efforts.
The ad campaign features a narrator prompting officers to reconnect with their duty: “You took an oath to protect and serve, to keep your family, your city, safe,” as images of urban law enforcement interplay with scenes of ICE agents. The advertisements convey a message that in sanctuary cities, officers are prevented from enforcing immigration laws while “dangerous illegals walk free.” This campaign is a part of ICE's $30 billion initiative, which seeks to hire 10,000 additional deportation officers by year-end.
Having launched in mid-September, ads have aired in more than a dozen cities, including Chicago, Seattle, Atlanta, and others, with the campaign costing over $5.7 million so far. Cities like Boston and Chicago, where such ads are running, have been vocal critics of the Trump administration's enforcement strategies.
ICE’s advertising strategy focuses on recruiting local police officers by offering attractive bonuses of up to $50,000, in an effort to respond to staffing shortages faced by many police departments across the country. Local law enforcement officials have noted concerns that the financial allure of ICE is strong enough to draw prospective recruits away from municipal police departments.
Despite the ongoing government shutdown casting doubt over ICE’s recruitment ambitions, the agency continues to push its ad campaign, aimed at fostering the belief that the government prioritizes action against illegal immigration. Many police departments remain uncertain of the campaign's impact, still monitoring its effects on their own recruitment efforts.
