What physical fitness and medical standards must ICE agents meet?
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Executive summary
ICE requires applicants for law-enforcement roles to pass a pre-employment physical fitness test (PFT), a medical examination and drug screening, and background/security vetting — with additional role-specific fitness retesting at the academy for HSI Special Agents (PFT consisting of four timed events) [1] [2] [3]. Recent reporting shows many recruits failing fitness checks during a large hiring surge, prompting ICE and DHS to stress that medical and Physical Ability Assessment standards remain conditions of employment even as age limits were removed [4] [5] [2].
1. What the written standards require: medical exam, drug screen, and fitness test
ICE’s hiring process formally includes a pre-employment medical examination, drug testing, security vetting and a fitness assessment; candidates must be “found to meet the medical standards” for the position to be hired (USAJOBS vacancy text and ICE guidance) [6] [2]. DHS statements accompanying the August 2025 policy change that removed age caps reiterated that recruits will undergo medical screening, drug screening and a physical fitness test as preconditions for employment [5] [7] [8].
2. The fitness test for HSI Special Agents: structure and purpose
Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Special Agent applicants must pass a pre-employment Physical Fitness Test (PFT) before entering duty and again upon entering the HSI Academy; ICE describes those HSI standards as “job-related” and designed to predict ability to meet academy and on-the-job physical demands [1] [3]. ICE materials say the PFT for HSI Special Agents consists of four timed events, and the agency publishes a video and policy guidance explaining those requirements [1] [3].
3. Variation by position: Deportation Officers and other ICE roles
Frontline enforcement roles such as Deportation Officer carry mandatory PFTs and medical clearance requirements tied to attendance at Basic Immigration Enforcement Training programs; ICE job announcements explicitly require a pre-employment PFT and medical examination and note some roles require additional medical forms if not recently cleared as an ICE law-enforcement officer [9] [10]. Public reporting and ICE’s careers guidance emphasize that specific pre-employment requirements “vary by position,” but fitness and medical screening recur across frontline vacancies [2] [11].
4. What the tests look like on the ground — reporters’ accounts and local coverage
Local outlets and reporters summarize that candidates face medical exams and fitness assessments that can include kneel-and-stand tests, push-ups and cardiovascular endurance steps or runs; a KTLA explainer listed kneel/stand, push-ups and a five-minute step test among fitness measures for prospective hires [12]. Journalists who tried the HSI online-described PFT reported the common events as push-ups, sit‑ups, and a timed run — underscoring both variation in tests across ICE components and that some testers find the standards demanding but not extreme [13].
5. Political context and hiring surge: why standards are under scrutiny
The removal of age caps and a large congressional hiring and training funding infusion spurred an aggressive recruitment drive; DHS and ICE insist that medical and Physical Ability Assessment standards remain employment conditions even as agencies move fitness checks earlier in the sequence to manage throughput [7] [4]. Reporting from The Atlantic and others said a significant share of recruits failed fitness checks after the surge, prompting field offices to screen recruits earlier and consider administrative reassignments when offers are in jeopardy [4].
6. Areas where reporting diverges or is silent
Sources agree that medical exams and PFTs are mandatory, but they differ in describing specific events by occupational stream: HSI’s PFT is described as four timed events in ICE materials, while local reporting and other outlets list different components (step tests, kneel/stand, run/push-ups) for other enforcement roles — reflecting genuine variation across ICE programs [1] [12] [3]. Available sources do not mention a single, universal ICE-wide numerical threshold (e.g., exact push-up or run time cutoffs) that applies across all law-enforcement positions; ICE policy documents describe tests as role- and age-adjusted but exact pass/fail numbers are not present in these extracts [3] [1].
7. What prospective applicants should take away
Prospective applicants should expect a pre-employment medical clearance, drug testing and a role-specific physical fitness assessment that may be administered before academy entry and again at training; failing the PFT can derail an offer or require reassignment, and ICE has recently moved to screen fitness earlier to avoid sending unprepared candidates to the academy [6] [2] [4]. For precise numeric standards and the four PFT events for HSI Special Agents, ICE’s official PFT page and the HSI physical fitness policy handbook are the primary references to consult [1] [3].