Does ICE ERO offer medical or temporary waivers for fitness tests in 2025?
Executive summary
ICE’s hiring rules in 2025 allow applicants to request medical waivers if a disqualifying medical condition is identified; applicants have 30 days from notification to request a waiver and certain veteran cases get OPM review (ICE guidance) [1]. ERO still requires a pre‑employment Physical Fitness Test for law‑enforcement hires and ICE materials and job announcements state applicants must pass the PFT before entering duty, though some legacy documents and reporting note prior waiver or exemption pathways for limited circumstances [2] [3] [4].
1. Medical waivers: explicit policy and deadlines
ICE’s medical‑screening guidance published in 2025 says an applicant found to have disqualifying medical conditions may request a medical waiver and that the request window is 30 days from the date of notification; the guidance also explains additional administrative steps and that compensable preference‑eligible veterans (30%+ service‑connected) whose waivers are denied may have their case forwarded to OPM for final review [1].
2. Fitness test remains a stated hiring requirement
ICE’s careers pages and 2025 job announcements continue to state that candidates for ERO law‑enforcement roles must undergo and pass a pre‑employment Physical Fitness Test (PFT) prior to entering on duty or attending academy training; ICE’s “Physical Fitness Test” page reiterates that passing the PFT is required during hiring [2]. Separate ERO job postings for Deportation Officer likewise list a multi‑part fitness battery (kneel/stand, push‑ups, five‑minute step) as part of the entry requirements [4].
3. How waivers and exceptions intersect with the PFT in available sources
ICE’s long‑standing PFT documentation notes that a medical condition that may affect completion of the fitness test is addressed in the policy but also states “failure to pass any one test will mean that you will not be hired for an ERO law enforcement officer” in legacy materials — indicating the agency considers the PFT a gating requirement while also documenting a medical‑waiver mechanism for medical disqualifiers [3]. The current ICE careers and medical pages together show both: mandatory fitness testing plus an administrative medical‑waiver process for qualifying medical issues [2] [1].
4. Practical application and candidate experience — what reporting and forums say
Public reporting and recruiting commentary after 2024/25 show tension between ambitious hiring goals and candidate readiness: media reporting and recruitment notices stress medical screening and fitness tests remain required [5] [6]. Anecdotal forum posts by applicants describe the medical‑waiver process as document‑heavy and burdensome, with applicants reporting they must provide extensive records and physician letters — suggesting waivers are possible but administratively onerous in practice [7].
5. Areas not clearly answered in current reporting
Available sources do not mention a routine, formal “temporary waiver” that exempts applicants from passing the PFT indefinitely or a broad policy of granting fitness waivers to meet hiring targets; legacy and 2025 documents show a medical‑waiver process for disqualifying health conditions, but they do not describe a general temporary fitness‑test waiver program or systematic fitness exceptions for age beyond specific veteran or prior‑service exemptions [1] [4] [3].
6. Competing viewpoints and implicit agendas
ICE and DHS public materials present fitness and medical screening as job‑related standards to ensure candidate readiness [2] [5]. Recruitment drives and political announcements emphasize ramping up hiring and removing age limits, which could create pressure to expedite onboarding; sources show DHS messaging promising expanded recruitment while still referencing required medical and fitness screens — an implicit tension between staffing goals and adherence to screening standards [5] [6].
7. What applicants should do now
Follow ICE’s published steps: if a medical condition is identified, file a medical‑waiver request within 30 days of notification and prepare to submit medical records and physician documentation as vendors and forums indicate that the documentation burden can be high [1] [7]. Prepare for the PFT: ICE’s PFT instructions and job announcements make clear that passing the fitness test is a hiring condition and that applicants who cannot complete the events may face disqualification absent an approved medical waiver [2] [3].
Limitations: I rely only on the provided ICE pages, job postings, legacy PFT PDFs, media excerpts and forum posts. Sources specify a medical‑waiver process and required PFTs but do not describe a universal or programmatic temporary waiver that would broadly exempt candidates from fitness standards beyond individual medical waivers or limited veteran/prior‑service exemptions [1] [4] [2] [3].