What is the typical federal pay scale and grade for ICE agents in 2025?
Executive summary
Entry-level ICE enforcement roles in 2025 are advertised on USAJOBS at General Schedule (GS) or Law Enforcement Officer (LEO) grades that span roughly GS‑7/GS‑9 up through GS‑13 for many positions, with advertised salary ranges like $49,739–$89,528 and $63,148–$101,860 depending on the vacancy (USAJOBS listings) [1] [2]. ICE and reporting outlets say the agency uses the federal GS and LEO pay systems and pays locality and overtime on top of base grades; independent salary sites show wide variation—averages around $62,700 nationally and much higher medians for HSI special agents—reflecting differing grades, locality pay and bonuses [3] [4] [5] [6].
1. What pay systems ICE uses — GS and the LEO overlay
ICE positions are paid under the federal General Schedule (GS) framework and, for many enforcement roles, the Law Enforcement Officer (LEO) special pay tables set by OPM; ICE’s careers pages and OPM guidance confirm salary corresponds to grade level and that LEO special base rates exist for law enforcement staff [3] [4] [7]. USAJOBS vacancy notices for ICE positions list both a pay range and a “pay scale & grade” field, indicating explicit use of federal pay schedules in 2025 [1] [2].
2. Typical entry‑level grades and advertised ranges in 2025
USAJOBS listings for Deportation Officer and similar ERO roles in 2025 show advertised pay ranges that correspond to mid‑GS through higher GS/LEO levels: one announcement lists $49,739–$89,528 per year, another shows $63,148–$101,860 per year, implying hires can start at lower GS/LEO steps and advance into higher steps or higher grades depending on experience and hiring location [1] [2]. ICE’s own career page instructs applicants that “you receive a salary that corresponds to your grade level” and that overtime and locality pay augment base pay [4].
3. Variation by job title: Deportation Officer vs. HSI Special Agent
Public reports and job boards separate uniformed Deportation/Removal Officers from Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Special Agents. HSI Special Agents typically sit at higher GS ranges in practice: Glassdoor’s 2025 submissions report Special Agent pay ranges with typical annual pay between about $104,000 (25th percentile) and $183,000 (75th percentile), reflecting senior GS/LEO grades plus locality and overtime [6]. By contrast, advertised Deportation Officer ranges on USAJOBS in 2025 are lower, as noted above [1] [2].
4. Real‑world pay vs. advertised ranges — private salary aggregators
Aggregators show wide dispersion. ZipRecruiter’s November 2025 pages list national average ICE agent pay around $62,702/year and regional averages as high as roughly $71,600–$68,600 in specific cities, but those figures mix job types, contract roles and don’t identify exact GS/LEO grades [5] [8] [9]. These market sites reflect total pay seen by users and thus corroborate that locality, overtime and position type drive substantial variation [5] [9].
5. Bonuses, hiring drives and special adjustments in 2025
Reporting in 2025 documents aggressive ICE hiring pushes and recruitment incentives: ICE has run campaigns targeting retirees and veterans, offering competitive salaries under GS/LEO rules and signing/retention bonuses noted in USAJOBS postings (up to $50,000 in some notices), which change real take‑home compensation and may allow faster entry at higher pay than the base grade alone suggests [10] [1] [2]. News outlets also noted extra budgetary and bonus provisions tied to broader policy priorities in 2025 [11].
6. How to interpret “typical” grade for an ICE agent
“Typical” depends on role: many frontline ERO Deportation Officers advertised in 2025 recruit at grades that map to the lower‑to‑mid range of GS/LEO pay tables (the USAJOBS ranges above), while criminal investigators and HSI Special Agents operate at higher GS/LEO grades with much higher median pay [1] [2] [6]. OPM pay tables and locality adjustments determine exact base pay for any posted grade [3] [7].
7. Limits of available reporting and where ambiguity remains
Available sources do not publish a single consolidated “typical grade” across all ICE enforcement titles for 2025; public materials show job‑by‑job ranges on USAJOBS and agency pages [1] [2] [4]. Salary‑aggregation sites offer averages but do not map every record to official GS/LEO steps and may conflate job families [5] [12].
Summary takeaway: Consult the specific USAJOBS vacancy for the role you care about — advertised pay ranges in 2025 (for Deportation Officer examples) ran about $49,739–$101,860 depending on the posting — and remember ICE pay is driven by official GS or LEO grade, locality pay, overtime and periodic bonuses described in USAJOBS and ICE career materials [1] [2] [4].