ICE’s Expansion: Militarizing U.S. Streets and Undermining Local Law Enforcement

1. ICE’s Budget Explosion: Largest Ever

A new Trump-backed law makes ICE the most heavily funded law enforcement agency in federal history. Over the next four years, ICE will receive $75 billion—including $45 billion for detention beds and $30 billion for staffing, facilities, and technology.
That’s more funding than the combined annual budgets of the FBI, DEA, ATF, U.S. Marshals Service, and Bureau of Prisons.
The Daily BeastPolitiFact+1

This financial surge paves the way for a rapid expansion: DHS is recruiting 10,000 new ICE agents, further dwarfing local departments strapped by flat budgets and increasing crime.
The Week

2. Recruitment Blitz: Cash, Loans, and No Age Limits

In a nationwide campaign labeled “Defend the Homeland”, ICE is dangling enormous incentives—up to $50,000 signing bonuses, college loan forgiveness, overtime pay, enhanced retirement, and permanent pay spikes for certain positions.
Yahoo+3U.S. Department of Homeland Security+3Democracy Now!+3

They’re even scrapping age restrictions and fast-tracking massive recruitment amid a wave of hiring that could double the Enforcement and Removal Operations workforce.
Cato Institute

Local law enforcement officials warn this is undercutting their own recruitment, draining small departments desperate for stability.
The New Republic+15The Week+15PolitiFact+15

3. Military Style Operations: FEMA, Guard, Troops

In a stunning move, officials reassigned FEMA staff during hurricane season to help ICE with hiring—a choice that FEMA leaders said weakened disaster preparedness.
Reuters

Separately, a DHS memo laid out requirements for up to 10,000 National Guard troops:

• 3,500 for fugitive searches

• 2,500 for detention support

• 10,000 for detainee transport

• 1,000 for logistical tasks like interviews and translation
  Ideastream Public Media+2The Washington Post+2

4. Leaked Memo: Militarization of U.S. Cities

A memo leaked to The New Republic reveals DHS and Pentagon planning a sustained domestic push. Drafted by DHS adviser Philip Hegseth (brother of Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth), it endorsed long-term deployment of National Guard and Marines in cities, citing gang and cartel threats comparable to Al Qaeda or ISIS.
San Francisco Chronicle+6The Daily Beast+6The New Republic+6

Experts warn this could usher in unconstitutional militarization of civilian spaces—“a level not seen since Japanese internment,” warned the German Marshall Fund’s Carrie Lee.
The Week+14The Daily Beast+14San Francisco Chronicle+14

5. Military Detention Centers: Camp East Montana and Beyond

Under a $231.8 million Pentagon contract, the administration is funding a massive new detention facility—Camp East Montana—at Fort Bliss, initially housing 1,000 detainees, with plans to expand to 5,000.
The Guardian+1

Additional detention facilities are being set up at military bases like Camp Atterbury, Joint Base McGuire–Dix–Lakehurst, and even Guantánamo Bay.
The Washington Post

6. What This Means for Public Safety & Civil Liberties

• Local police undercut: Small, city and rural departments struggle to compete as ICE floods the market with pay and perks.

• Emergency response weakened: FEMA’s reduced capacity during hurricane season adds a dangerous layer.

• Militarized streets: The blending of domestic enforcement and military force damages civilian trust and expands the surveillance state.

• Human rights risks: Mass detention at remote bases with limited oversight is a recipe for abuse.

7. Final Takeaway

This isn’t about immigration policy—it’s about the erosion of democratic norms. As ICE grows into a militarized agency with national power and logistical reach, police forces shrink, oversight disappears, and civil liberties are being quietly dismantled—in full view.