As people across the country protest images of jack-booted ICE agents with their faces covered as they round up migrants, the government reportedly plans to spend $100 million to recruit more for their ranks.
And what they're seeking is reportedly gun-rights supporters and military enthusiasts who they plan to reach through online influencers and geo-targeted advertising campaigns.
The Washington Post broke the news of the government's "wartime recruitment" drive, and they reported ads will focus on one's "sacred duty to defend the homeland against foreign invaders."
Ads will be targeted to "highly specific demographics, including people who have attended UFC fights, listened to patriotic podcasts, or shown an interest in guns and tactical gear, according to the Post. Geofencing parameters will allow ICE to send the ads to phones in certain locations, and the plan is reportedly to include proximity to "military bases, NASCAR races, college campuses, and gun shows."
This recruitment effort comes as the New Republic’s Greg Sargent on Wednesday wrote that immigration arrests this year have fallen far short of the goal of 3,000 people per day set by top Trump aide Stephen Miller.
Aaron Reichlin-Melnick, a senior fellow with the American Immigration Council, told Sargent that “it’s clear that they have not achieved the shock-and-awe campaign of mass deportations that they wanted, and they are still running into quite a lot of obstacles.”
To combat that with more ICE troops rounding people up, he Trump administration also announced plans to offer recruits $50,000 sign-up bonuses and assistance with repaying student loans.