ICE Ramps up Recruitment of NYPD Officers After Mamdani Victory With Ads Claiming the Agency Offers 'Respect'

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement is targeting New York City police officers with new recruitment ads that suggest the NYPD does not value its own personnel.

The campaign arrives as the police department struggles with vacancies, attrition, and changing expectations around its role under Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani, a democratic socialist who has said he intends to alter police oversight.

"Join an agency that respects you, your family and your commitment to serving in law enforcement," one Facebook ICE ad reads. The message links to an ICE page stating that "America has been invaded by criminals and predators" and offering signing bonuses of up to $50,000.

ICE job postings for experienced deportation officers in New York start at $63,000 with an upper range of $163,000, along with loan repayment and pay incentives, as Gothamist pointed out in a report on the ICE recruiting efforts. More than 3,900 NYPD employees made over $200,000 last year, according to state payroll records.

Jillian Snider, a former NYPD officer now teaching at John Jay College, called the $50,000 bonus "huge," adding that ICE has recently developed "a kind of media-frenzied prestige." She also told Gothamist that some officers may be motivated less by pay than by concerns that "everything they do is going to be scrutinized" under the new administration.

Mamdani, who apologized to officers for calling them racist and homophobic in 2020, has said he wants to limit police disciplinary authority and expand civilian watchdogs. Public Advocate Jumaane Williams described the ICE campaign as "gross" and accused the agency of "sow[ing] division among rank and file officers."

Police Benevolent Association president Patrick Hendry told Gothamist that ICE is trying to take advantage of local conditions. "Every law enforcement agency in the country knows that our members are overworked, underpaid and subjected to endless demonization," he said. The NYPD currently has nearly 1,300 vacancies, and more hiring has been proposed to reach 5,000 additional officers by 2028.

The recruitment effort comes as New York City prepares for policy shifts under Mamdani. As a report from AMNY explains, the new Mayor is expected to influence the city's legal and judicial systems, including appointments in criminal, civil, and family courts. Civil rights groups consulted by the site anticipate stronger enforcement of sanctuary policies limiting cooperation with federal immigration authorities while advocates hope the new administration will treat those provisions as binding.

"There's a real opportunity... to both restore and meaningfully expand on our city's laws and policies," said New York Civil Liberties Union policy counsel Zach Ahmad.

Immigration lawyers say federal enforcement is already intense. According to federal data, roughly half of all U.S. immigration court arrests occurred in New York in late May and early June, and advocates expect more visible ICE operations.