Despite a staggering 8,000% spike in death threats, more than 200,000 Americans have stepped forward to join U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) — a surge that Homeland Security officials are calling a powerful show of patriotism.
The numbers come straight from the Department of Homeland Security, which confirmed the wave of applications as part of ICE’s ongoing national hiring campaign.
“ICE has received more than 200,000 applications from patriotic Americans who want to defend the homeland by removing the worst of the worst criminal illegal aliens from the U.S.,” said DHS Secretary Kristi Noem in a statement to Fox News Digital.
“Americans are answering their country’s call to serve and help remove murderers, pedophiles, rapists, terrorists, and gang members from our country.”
The surge comes even as ICE officers face record hostility. In August, Noem revealed that assaults on immigration law enforcement officers had jumped more than 1,000%, fueled by anti-ICE protests and what she called “reckless Democratic rhetoric” surrounding the agency’s mission.
Still, agents are pushing forward. In recent weeks, ICE teams have conducted high-profile operations across the country — including arrests in New York City’s Canal Street, a hotspot notorious for counterfeit goods and criminal activity.
But not everyone is welcoming their presence. During a victory speech in Queens, New York City Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani appeared to take a swipe at ICE’s enforcement efforts.
“My message to ICE agents and to everyone across this city is that everyone will be held to the same standard of the law,” Mamdani told supporters. “And there is, sadly, a sense that is growing across this country that certain people are allowed to violate that law, whether they be the president or whether they be the agents themselves.”
For Noem and her department, the mission remains clear: protect the homeland, no matter the threats.
And with 200,000 new applicants ready to wear the badge, it’s clear that many Americans are still willing to stand on the front lines — even when doing so paints a target on their backs.
More over at Fox News:
ICE has received more than 200,000 applications from patriotic Americans who want to defend the homeland by removing the worst of the worst criminal illegal aliens from the U.S.
Americans are answering their country’s call to serve and help remove murderers, pedophiles, rapists,…
— Kristi Noem (@KristiNoem) November 7, 2025
