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Fact check: Do ICE agents have low IQs like police?

Checked on July 21, 2025

1. Summary of the results

The analyses reveal no direct information about ICE agents' IQ levels across all sources examined. However, there is substantial data about police officer intelligence requirements. A landmark court case established that police departments can legally reject candidates who score too high on intelligence tests [1] [2]. The case involved Robert Jordan, who was denied a police position because his intelligence test score was deemed too high [1] [2].

The average intelligence score for police officers is reported to be 21-22 on standardized tests, equivalent to an IQ of 104 [1] [3]. This represents roughly average intelligence in the general population. The sources emphasize that modern law enforcement requires critical thinking skills, emotional intelligence, and adaptability rather than just raw intellectual capacity [4] [5].

2. Missing context/alternative viewpoints

The original question lacks several crucial pieces of context:

  • No comparative data exists between ICE agents and police officers regarding intelligence requirements or testing procedures. The sources focus exclusively on police departments with no mention of ICE hiring practices [6] [7] [8].
  • The rationale behind police intelligence limits is practical, not discriminatory. Departments argue that highly intelligent candidates may become bored and leave the job quickly, making training investments wasteful [1] [2].
  • Modern law enforcement emphasizes cognitive diversity over pure IQ. Sources highlight the importance of situational awareness, information processing speed, and decision-making under stress [9] [5].
  • Training and development programs focus on building adaptive thinking rather than selecting for high IQ scores, suggesting that effective policing requires multiple types of intelligence [4].

3. Potential misinformation/bias in the original statement

The original question contains several problematic assumptions:

  • It presents an unsubstantiated premise that police officers have "low IQs" when the evidence shows they have average intelligence (IQ 104) [1] [3].
  • It assumes equivalency between ICE agents and police officers without any evidence that these agencies have similar hiring practices or intelligence requirements.
  • The phrasing suggests deliberate bias by using loaded language ("low IQs") rather than seeking objective information about cognitive requirements in law enforcement.
  • It ignores the complexity of law enforcement work, which requires multiple cognitive skills beyond traditional IQ measures, including emotional intelligence and rapid decision-making capabilities [4] [5].

The question appears designed to elicit a negative response about law enforcement rather than genuinely seeking factual information about hiring practices or job requirements.

Want to dive deeper?
What are the educational requirements for ICE agents?
How do ICE agents' cognitive abilities compare to other law enforcement agencies?
What is the average IQ of police officers in the United States?
Do ICE agents undergo psychological evaluations as part of their training?
How does the IQ of law enforcement officers impact their job performance?