Fact check: Which law enforcement agencies have the highest average salaries in 2025, compared to ICE?

1. Summary of the results

Based on the available analyses, there is insufficient data to definitively answer which law enforcement agencies have the highest average salaries compared to ICE in 2025. The sources provide limited and fragmented salary information:

• ICE compensation details: ICE offered a $50,000 sign-on bonus and salaries around $100,000 for returning officers ^[1]. Additionally, ICE agents receive a $10,000 yearly bonus with opportunities for performance and retention bonuses ^[2].
• State police comparison: California police officers have the highest median salary at $113,460 ^[3], which provides some context but doesn't represent federal law enforcement agencies.
• ICE's funding status: ICE is positioned to become the highest-funded federal law enforcement agency ^[2], though this refers to overall budget rather than individual salaries.

2. Missing context/alternative viewpoints

The analyses reveal significant gaps in addressing the original question:

• No comprehensive federal agency comparison: None of the sources provide salary data for other major federal law enforcement agencies such as FBI, DEA, ATF, Secret Service, or U.S. Marshals Service.
• Limited scope of data: The sources focus primarily on ICE-specific information ^{[1] [2]} or state-level police salaries ^[3], rather than providing the federal agency comparison requested.
• Lack of 2025-specific data: The analyses don't clearly indicate whether the salary figures represent current 2025 data or historical information.
• Missing context on total compensation: While bonuses are mentioned for ICE ^[2], there's no comparison of total compensation packages (including benefits, overtime, and special pay) across different agencies.

3. Potential misinformation/bias in the original statement

The original question contains an implicit assumption that may not be accurate:

• Assumption of ICE's salary ranking: The question assumes ICE salaries serve as a meaningful baseline for comparison, but the available data suggests this premise may be flawed since comprehensive salary comparisons across federal law enforcement agencies are not readily available in the sources.
• Specificity bias: By asking specifically about 2025 data, the question may be seeking information that doesn't exist in accessible public records, as federal salary data is often reported with delays.
• Scope limitation: The question focuses solely on "average salaries" without considering that law enforcement compensation varies significantly based on location, experience level, and total compensation packages, which could provide a misleading picture of actual earning potential across agencies.