In Part 3 of an exclusive interview with Breitbart News, Acting ICE Director Todd Lyons laid out a bold vision for restoring law and order through a nationwide recruitment drive aimed at bringing patriots into the ranks of immigration enforcement. Under President Trump’s leadership, ICE is not only cracking down on criminal aliens and drug cartels—it’s rebuilding its workforce with Americans who believe in the mission.
A Mission of Patriotism and Public Safety
“We are recruiting, retaining, and hiring the best possible patriots that want to go out here and do a good law enforcement mission,” Director Lyons told Breitbart. “We’re looking for people who believe in protecting this country, who understand the importance of enforcing immigration law, and who want to make a difference.”
“We’ve had over 140,000 applicants from all walks of life,” Lyons added. “What we’re really excited about is the amount of veterans, amount of active duty military folks that are leaving active service, that want to come work for the federal government, a lot of local, state, county law enforcement that want to come and do the law enforcement mission at the federal level.”
Lyons explained that under President Donald Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill funding, the agency can recruit and retain quality candidates. The funding allows ICE to not only use “retention bonuses, hiring bonuses, and student loan repayment, but we’re actually going to be able to go ahead and retain our quality people to let them know that we care about the mission they’re doing every day, and make sure they’re compensated as well.”
Rebuilding What Was Lost
Lyons didn’t mince words about the agency’s struggles under the previous administration when large numbers of agents took early retirement or even quit the agency.
“There were so many of our previous special agents, deportation officers, and our senior leaders, who were frustrated they weren’t allowed to do the law enforcement mission they signed up for,” the director explained. “They’d either retired early or just were so frustrated with the job they were doing, but now they’re actually having the chance to come back and do the job they signed up for.
Now, with retention bonuses, hiring incentives, and student loan repayment programs, ICE is sending a clear message: the agency is back, and it’s investing in its people.
“The commitment to ensuring the safety and well-being of ICE agents and their families” has become a central focus of agency leadership, according to ICE. This includes providing proper resources, equipment, and support systems for agents facing increasingly dangerous enforcement scenarios.
A Call to Serve
Lyons described ICE’s mission as a “nationwide effort” to protect American communities from criminal aliens, drug traffickers, and suspected terrorists. “We’re making a significant public safety impact,” he said, pointing to recent operations that intercepted fentanyl precursors on the high seas and dismantled cartel networks.
In July, Breitbart Texas reported on the agency’s call for former agents to rejoin the service. “You served the United States of America with distinction and honor. Now, your country calls upon you to serve once more,” ICE officials wrote. “By returning to ICE, you are providing an honorable, indispensable service to our nation.”
Lyons emphasized the agency’s renewed collaboration with other federal partners. “That whole-of-government approach became one law enforcement mission,” Lyons explained. “We’re working hand-in-hand with DEA, FBI, CBP, and even the Department of Defense.”
In August, Breitbart Texas reported that Dean Cain, the actor who played Superman on the TV series “Lois and Clark: The Adventures of Superman,” said he would be joining ICE.
The 59-year-old actor, filmmaker, and sworn law enforcement officer announced his intentions on social media, saying, “I felt it was important to join with our first responders to help secure the safety of all Americans, not just talk about it, so I joined up.”
ICE officials responded to an inquiry from Breitbart, saying, “Superman is encouraging Americans to become real-life superheroes by answering their country’s call to join the brave men and women of ICE to help protect our communities to arrest the worst of the worst.”
The current leadership emphasized the importance of training, equipping, and supporting the workforce to ensure agent safety and operational effectiveness.
Protecting the American People
The recruitment surge comes as ICE faces growing operational demands, particularly in sanctuary jurisdictions where local cooperation is limited. Having adequate personnel is crucial for the agency’s ability to respond effectively to these challenging enforcement environments.
Lyons praised Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem for ensuring the agency has the time and resources to vet new agents and officers during the recruitment process properly. “The Secretary has been great about allowing us to ensure that we don’t let our vetting slide,” Lyons emphasized. “We’re making sure that we are recruiting and retaining and hiring the best possible patriots that want to go out here and do a good law enforcement mission.”
Lyons ended with a direct appeal to those considering a career in immigration enforcement.
“My commitment to the workforce is that we will make sure that people are trained to get the right equipment, we take care of them, and their quality of life,” Lyons concluded “The men and women of ICE do a very dangerous job every day, and I want to make sure that they’re taken care of, their families are taken care of and that they know that the President and their secretaries have their back.”
He said he “is going to make sure they have everything they can do to not only be safe, but do the mission they need to do.”
Bob Price is the Breitbart Texas-Border team’s associate editor and senior news contributor. He is an original member of the Breitbart Texas team. Price is a regular panelist on Fox 26 Houston’s What’s Your Point? Sunday morning talk show. He also serves as president of Blue Wonder Gun Care Products.
Editor’s Note: This is Part Three of a three-part exclusive interview with Acting ICE Director Todd Lyons.
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