Pentagon asks civilian employees to join ‘volunteer force’ to aid Ice deportations

The Pentagon is recruiting civilian employees to join Donald Trump’s mass deportation campaign and asking staff to sign up for deployments to immigration enforcement facilities across the United States.

The defense department has posted a job listing requesting volunteers for civilian federal employees apply to join a “volunteer force” supporting Immigration and Customs Enforcement (Ice) and Customs and Border Patrol (CBP) operations. On Wednesday, the department reportedly emailed civilian employees asking them to take up this opportunity.

“The Secretary of Defense has authorized DoD civilian employees to participate in details to the Department of Homeland Security to contribute to its operations along the Southern Border and its internal immigration enforcement activities,” reads the email, obtained by 404Media. Roughly 950,000 civilian employees work for the Pentagon.

Selected employees will reportedly “offer critical support” to Ice and border patrol “as they fulfill the President’s intent to ensure a safe and orderly immigration system”.

A US defense official confirmed the initiative, telling the Guardian: “The Secretary of Defense memorandum signed on Jun 1, 2025, ‘Detailing of Department of Defense Civilians Employees to Support the Department of Homeland Security’ allows DoD civilians employees to participate in a detail for up to 180-days, supporting the Department of Homeland Security’s operations on the southern border.”

The official said volunteer duties may include “data entry, operational planning support, processing and throughput logistics, and logistical support”.

The job posting warns deployment locations “are not negotiable” and conditions “could be austere”. Assignments last up to 180 days at facilities along the border and throughout the US interior, and detailing means the staff keeps their salary and benefits.

The recruitment effort stems from a June memorandum issued by the defense secretary, Pete Hegseth, that authorizes the civilian employee deployments “in support of the President’s priority of securing our borders”. The memo specifically enables both reimbursable and non-reimbursable details to DHS for southern border operations and “internal immigration enforcement”.

The Pentagon initiative comes as the Trump administration works to expand immigration enforcement personnel, infrastructure and operations across the country. The Big Beautiful Bill, signed by Trump last month, includes budget for an additional 10,000 Ice agents, and Ice is reportedly offering signing bonuses of up to $50,000 and has reduced its age requirements in an effort to expand its forces.

Earlier this month, the Washington Post reported that DHS has reassigned dozens of Federal Emergency Management Agency (Fema) employees to Ice.

Meanwhile, new detention facilities are being established in Nebraska, Florida, and at military installations including Fort Bliss in Texas, which now houses migrants in tent structures with capacity for 5,000 people.

Ice arrests have surged nationwide, with northern California seeing a 123% increase in detentions between January and July compared to late 2024.

The administration has also begun deploying Ice agents alongside local police for routine traffic enforcement. In Washington DC, federal immigration agents now accompany police officers during moped traffic stops targeting food delivery drivers, most of whom are from Central or South America, according to reporting from the Washington Post.

The DHS secretary, Kristi Noem, announced last week that approximately 1.6 million undocumented immigrants had left the US during her first 200 days in office, citing agency data. There is also a planned ad buy between $20-50m dubbed “Stronger Border, Stronger America” to promote the work of the DHS set to launch in September.

The salary range for the volunteer positions spans from approximately $25,684 to $191,900 annually, with assignments requiring 76% or greater travel and no remote work options available, according to the job listing. Relocation expenses will not be reimbursed.

The Pentagon declined to specify how many civilian employees are expected to participate in the program.