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Fact check: How many paid vacation days do ICE agents receive per year?
Executive Summary
ICE agents are reported to accrue between 13 and 26 days of annual leave per year, in addition to federal holidays and paid personal leave, according to multiple internal and external summaries published in 2025. This range is consistently cited across the documents provided, though none of the excerpts spells out the exact accrual schedule, eligibility thresholds, or how years of service affect the total; the core, repeatedly stated claim remains 13–26 days of annual leave [1] [2] [3].
1. What the documents loudly repeat — the 13–26 day headline that travels fast
Across recruitment pages, employer profiles, and summary articles, the same numeric range resurfaces: 13 to 26 days of annual leave is listed as the annual leave entitlement for ICE staff, including agents. These items present the range as a settled fact rather than a point of debate, and the language often groups annual leave with other benefits—health, dental, vision, life insurance, retirement plans, and flexible spending accounts—creating a package-oriented framing that foregrounds leave as one benefit among many [4] [1]. The consistent repetition of the same numbers across sources suggests either shared origin material or common reliance on standard federal leave rules.
2. Where the sources converge and where they stop short — consistency without detail
The publications converge on the same headline figure and add mentions of paid personal leave and federal holidays, reinforcing that leave is not limited to annual leave alone. However, none of the provided excerpts supplies the granular mechanics—such as exact accrual rates by years of service, carryover limits, or distinctions between probationary and fully tenured employees—which are necessary to translate the 13–26 range into an agent’s calendar in a given year [1] [5] [3]. The repetition without procedural specifics means the figure is useful as a summary but inadequate for precise planning or comparison.
3. Possible explanations for the 13–26 day range — what the range implies
The most plausible interpretation embedded in these materials is that the 13–26 day range reflects a tiered accrual system—a common structure in federal employment where annual leave increases with years of service. The texts link the leave range to general federal employee benefits, implying ICE follows broader government leave schedules rather than a unique agency-specific policy [1] [3]. That framing also explains why summary pages treat the number as a feature of federal employment, but it leaves readers needing confirmation of the precise service thresholds that yield the lower or upper ends of the range.
4. Assessing source agendas — recruitment language vs. neutral description
Some documents appear on recruitment or promotional pages and present benefits in a positive, package-oriented light, which can subtly emphasize competitiveness and attractiveness to applicants. These items list annual leave alongside salary and insurance, signaling a recruitment agenda even as they provide factual leave numbers [2] [1]. Other summaries read more neutral and informational but still rely on the same base claims. Treating all documents as potentially biased toward presenting ICE favorably is warranted, given the overlap between HR recruiting materials and public-facing informational write-ups.
5. What’s omitted that matters — carryover, accrual schedule, and exceptions
Critical operational details are omitted in every excerpt: none mentions how leave accrues per pay period, maximum accrual caps, cash-out policies, or whether law enforcement incentives alter leave rules for agents with specific duties. These omissions limit the utility of the headline and mean readers cannot determine whether an agent hired midyear would receive a prorated amount or how leave interacts with overtime and special duty assignments [6] [1]. Without these procedural details, the 13–26-day statement remains an accurate but incomplete summary.
6. Comparing dates and reliability — recent consistency, but check originals
All the supplied items date from mid-2025 to October 2025 and consistently repeat the same range, suggesting the claim was current and widely propagated in that timeframe [4] [2] [3]. Because the materials mirror each other closely, readers should consult the primary ICE or federal human resources policy documents for authoritative, current accrual tables. The repeated citation pattern across contemporaneous items supports the trustworthiness of the headline while simultaneously signaling reliance on a shared source or template.
7. Bottom line for readers seeking precision — where to go next
The safe, evidence-backed conclusion from these materials is that ICE agents are described as eligible for 13–26 days of annual leave per year, plus federal holidays and paid personal leave, but the precise accrual rules are not provided in the excerpts [1]. For exact figures tied to years of service, probationary status, or special assignments, consult ICE human resources or published federal leave tables; the documents at hand are consistent on the headline number but lack the operational specifics needed for definitive, case-by-case answers.