How many new agents is DHS looking to hire
Executive summary
The Department of Homeland Security’s Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) reported hiring more than 12,000 additional officers and agents in under a year—an increase ICE describes as doubling the workforce from roughly 10,000 to about 22,000, a 120% jump [1] [2] [3]. DHS has not published a new numeric hiring target for 2026 across ICE or the broader department, even as it continues to advertise vacancies in cybersecurity, intelligence, law enforcement and other mission areas [3] [4].
1. What DHS publicly says: ICE added ~12,000 new officers and agents
DHS and ICE issued statements that their aggressive recruitment campaign produced more than 12,000 hires—surpassing an original goal to add 10,000 officers and agents within a year—and the agency framed that as growing from about 10,000 to roughly 22,000 total officers and agents [1] [2] [3]. Multiple outlets reporting directly from DHS briefings and ICE releases repeat the 12,000 figure and the 120% workforce growth claim, portraying the campaign as unprecedented in speed and scale [1] [5] [2].
2. The nuance: original targets, applications, and what “hiring” means
ICE’s stated original target was 10,000 hires within 12 months, a target it says it exceeded; the agency also reported receiving roughly 220,000 applications during the drive, which DHS and third-party reporting cite to underline demand and scale [1] [5] [2]. Reporting and DHS statements describe many of the new personnel as “on the ground” and deployed in enforcement, but DHS has not publicly broken down how many of the announced hires have completed all onboarding steps or are fully operational in field roles [1] [3].
3. Broader DHS hiring beyond ICE — active recruiting but no single new-agent total
Beyond ICE, DHS maintains broad, ongoing hiring for cybersecurity, IT, intelligence, law enforcement and support roles, with career pages and USAJOBS listings actively recruiting for multiple components [4] [6] [7]. Legislative spending measures cited in reporting add funds and directed increases for agencies like the Secret Service, CISA and FEMA—showing Congress is resourcing additional hires—but those pieces do not translate into a single, department-wide “new agents” number and reporting notes DHS had not set a public numeric target for 2026 [8] [3].
4. Skepticism and oversight: concerns about standards and Inspector General review
Observers and some former officials raised concerns about the speed and criteria of the surge, warning that accelerated hiring and waivers (including reports of age-cap adjustments) may lower vetting standards; news outlets quoted former ICE leadership and watchdog attention has followed, with the DHS inspector general probing the hiring and training effort [2] [3]. Government Executive specifically notes ICE exceeded its goal but also that ICE “has not publicly set a hiring target for 2026,” and the IG investigation signals continued scrutiny over whether the rapid expansion meets operational and oversight benchmarks [3].
5. Bottom line for the central question
The clearest, documented answer is that ICE—part of DHS—has announced it hired more than 12,000 new officers and agents in the recent recruitment push, expanding ICE’s officer/agent count to about 22,000 total [1] [2] [3]. DHS as a whole continues to advertise and fund hiring across multiple components, but the department has not published a single department-wide numeric target for additional “new agents” in 2026 beyond the ICE figures and agency-specific funding allocations cited in appropriations reporting [4] [8] [3].