Pentagon Recruits Civilian Employees to Support Trump Immigration Enforcement

The Pentagon has begun recruiting its nearly 950,000 civilian employees for temporary detail assignments to help with immigration enforcement under the Trump administration, according to official emails sent August 20–21, 2025. The Department of Defense says the voluntary details will place DoD civilians in support roles at Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Customs and Border Protection (CBP) for up to 180 days, part of a June memorandum of agreement with the Department of Homeland Security that allows both reimbursable and non-reimbursable assignments.

The move follows a year of rapid policy changes aimed at boosting arrests, detention, and removals across the United States 🇺🇸. Pentagon officials describe the surge as part of a whole-of-government effort that taps civilian employees to fill short-term gaps while DHS scales up hiring and detention capacity.

Who is eligible and what the roles entail

• The details are open to current DoD workers at any grade.
• Roles are described as administrative and support; detailees will not perform law enforcement activities.
• Typical duties include:
  • Data entry and data management
  • Raid planning support
  • Processing people arrested by ICE and CBP
  • Logistical planning and operational paperwork

Security clearances and drug tests are not required for these support roles. DoD leaders emphasize these assignments are administrative but crucial to high-volume operations.

Conditions, timing, and compensation

• Assignments last up to 180 days.
• Detailees may be required to relocate rapidly — within 96 hours — and to perform “extensive overtime” in “austere conditions.”
• Compensation continues at the employee’s normal pay level. The announcement lists a salary band of $25,684 to $191,900 per year, varying by grade and location.
• Travel, lodging, and per diem will be reimbursed by the receiving agency (ICE or CBP).
• Applications are being accepted through the federal hiring portal at https://www.usajobs.gov.

Important: These roles are described as voluntary and time-limited; detailees are not authorized to conduct arrests or other enforcement activities.

How DoD details will work (fast-track process)

The Department of Defense outlined a simplified, fast-track process:

1. Receive the official DoD email inviting applications for ICE/CBP details.
2. Apply through USAJOBS, confirming willingness to deploy where needed.
3. Await selection; if approved, expect movement orders within 96 hours.
4. Arrange travel and lodging; costs are reimbursed by ICE or CBP.
5. Serve for up to 180 days; expect “extensive overtime” and possibly “austere conditions.”

Officials stress that duties focus on administrative/operational support—moving paperwork, planning, data management, and processing steps that keep high-volume operations running.

Policy context and funding

• In 2025, the administration rescinded many Biden-era protections, closed the southern border to most asylum seekers, and prioritized mass removals.
• On July 4, 2025, President Trump signed the “One Big Beautiful Bill Act” (OBBBA), which provides $45 billion through 2029 to expand immigration detention.
• OBBBA:
  • Quadruples ICE’s annual detention budget
  • Allows indefinite family detention, departing from prior limits informed by the Flores Settlement Agreement
• DHS is attempting to hire 10,000 new full-time ICE officers, and more than 100,000 applications were reported in recent weeks.
• Private prison companies operating many detention facilities have welcomed the new funding and expansion plans.

Leadership messages and federal approvals

• Acting ICE Director Todd Lyons wrote: “Your country is calling on you to serve at ICE and defend the Homeland… ICE now faces unprecedented challenges in removing millions of criminal illegal aliens from our country.”
• Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth approved the Pentagon’s civilian detail program, citing support for the President’s national security and border priorities.
• The Pentagon’s March 2025 civilian hiring freeze remains in place, but it includes exemptions for roles tied to immigration enforcement, national security, and public safety. That carveout enables streamlined approvals for these details and select permanent hires in related areas.

Legal and human stakes

• Immigration lawyers and advocacy groups warn the enforcement drive may breach international and federal law, including non-refoulement prohibitions against returning people to places where they face serious harm.
• Concerns include:
  • The OBBBA’s allowance for indefinite family detention, which child welfare groups say risks long-term harm to children’s mental health.
  • Clash with legal norms shaped by the Flores Settlement Agreement.
  • Several executive actions already face court challenges; judges have issued temporary restraining orders on specific measures.
• Outcomes in federal court will shape how far the administration can go and how quickly.

Supporters argue the scale-up is needed for national security and public safety, citing a claimed 1,000% rise in assaults on federal agents during recent unrest. They say civilian employees can relieve pressure on ICE and CBP by handling backend work so sworn officers can focus on field operations.

Critics counter that fast-tracked systems and curtailed asylum access increase the risk of:
– Wrongful detention
– Family separation
– Removals without full due process

Workforce and community impacts

For DoD employees weighing a detail, considerations include:

• Personal and professional trade-offs: voluntary, limited in duration, but potentially demanding in pace and conditions.
• Potential benefits: opportunity to serve, crisis-response experience.
• Potential drawbacks: stress, extensive overtime, moral or values-based concerns.
• Supervisory and unit impacts: supervisors must plan for staffing gaps at home units even as travel and per diem are covered.

Communities with many mixed-status families report growing fear about routine activities (travel, school drop-offs, hospital visits). Under OBBBA and related executive actions:
– Access to humanitarian relief has narrowed.
– More people may face detention while cases move through the pipeline.

Because the expanded system allows for indefinite family detention, child welfare groups warn of long-term harm if families are held for extended periods. Legal service providers expect a surge in cases and longer waits even as detention capacity grows.

Analysis and outlook

According to analysis by VisaVerge.com, the Pentagon’s civilian deployment marks a large-scale shift in federal staffing of immigration enforcement—blending defense civilian capacity with DHS needs through short-term details that can be activated quickly.

Key dependencies and possible future developments:

• The model depends on a steady stream of volunteers and on continued funding for detention and transport (through OBBBA and annual appropriations).
• DHS may expand recruitment and could request more detailees if arrests rise or court rulings permit broader operations.
• Federal judges will decide on detention length, family custody, and asylum-screening bars. Any orders limiting indefinite detention or restoring broader asylum access would force operational adjustments for ICE, CBP, and supporting detailees.

For now, the Pentagon’s message to its workforce is clear: these roles are voluntary, time-limited, and do not involve law enforcement powers, but they are central to the administration’s enforcement plan.

DoD civilian employees interested in applying can find listings at the official federal portal: https://www.usajobs.gov. Officials say more instructions will follow from DoD and DHS channels as deployments scale and as the Under Secretary’s office finalizes implementation details and any exemptions to the hiring freeze that affect unit operations.