I know I’m not supposed to take pleasure from someone’s misfortunes. On the other hand the subject is ICE, and all those new hires ICE Barbie enticed to sign up. Promises not just of getting to be cruel and racist, but getting all those federal benefits and that paycheck. And BONUSES. It seems in the rush to get the newbies out there on the streets violating rights, busting heads and even killing people training wasn’t the only thing that got rushed. So was paperwork to make sure the new agents got pay and benefits, and those hiring bonuses. Screw with Karma so much and sooner or later it’s going to circle round and bite you in the butt!
Displaying typical Team Trump incompetence ICE, in their rush to get these asshats badges, guns and of course tactical gear seem to have, in many cases, not bothered to process their onboarding paperwork. How widespread is the problem? Well, according to Inquistr enough so that it’s showing up on social media:
New ICE hires have taken to social media to express frustration over missing paychecks, hiring bonuses, and health insurance weeks after starting work. This information comes from a private Reddit forum and reports by International Business Times UK.
IBTimes UK noted that employees posting in the locked subreddit r/ICE_ERO shared experiences of delayed pay, confusion about bonuses, and periods without health coverage that forced some families to pay out of pocket for medical care. The complaints surfaced after a major recruitment effort expanded the agency’s workforce.
Yes, the linked article says it hasn’t independently verified those who made complaints but given the source it seems like someone pulled a Pete Hegseth Signal Chat oops and allowed a non-ICE user into the group. Or maybe someone, like the guy who’s been waiting a couple of months for his medical to kick in (he’s got a daughter it seems who’s care is expensive) or someone else. The article does mention smaller than expected bonuses and “fine print” – not that literacy was much of a barrier for a lot of these goobers.
It all seemed so grand when they signed up. And I’m sure they were overjoyed when they got to the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center in Glynco, Georgia for what they’d expected to be five and a half months of training – only to see it cut to less than eight freaking weeks! Instead of sugar plums they had visions of ass-kicking ‘four-un-urs’, cool looking badges, badass-tough-guy-looking tactical gear and more money and benefits than most of them knew they’d could earn on merit alone. Now they are all butt-hurt and complaining Trump DIDN’T keep his promise:
These complaints undermine a recruitment campaign that highlighted financial incentives and benefits while the Trump administration aimed to quickly increase immigration enforcement capacity. Last year, the Associated Press reported that the Department of Homeland Security launched a campaign offering up to $50,000 in signing bonuses, overtime opportunities for specific roles, and options for student loan repayment or forgiveness
Well boo effing hoo. If many of these asshats feel betrayed, I won’t lose a moment’s sleep over it. Not that they’ll quit. No, some of them are getting paid and on time and have been getting their benefits (if not their promised amount of bonus money) and they’ll hold out in hopes it will all get straightened out. Then again, this is the Trump administration and for those who are in positions of authority NOT being qualified is the primary job requirement. The question is how long some of these new hires can, or are willing to wait.
One hopes that come 2028, if not sooner because a solidly Democratic Congress and a whipped, chastised by voters GOP pass legislation rolling back ICE into what it once was if not eliminating it entirely. It was only created when DHS was formed. Prior to that the ERO (Enforcement Removal Officers) were in a division of CPB. Whatever. A major house cleaning will be in order. I wonder how many of these new hires would stay if they were required to retrain – as in successfully complete the FULL 22 week course (ICE, like some other agencies has a specific nodule that extends the basic 20 week course).
Well, that’s all in the future. For the moment we have what are probably a lot of new ICE hires ticked off about pay, benefits and bonuses. That’s amusing on one level (given what they signed up to do they deserve to get screwed by the very system they serve) but worrisome on another. They might just take out their frustration and even anger on people they encounter in their day-to-day work. For now I’ll try to have happy thoughts – taking a mean spirited delight in people who signed up to screw over others getting screwed over by ICE Barbie and Trump. I look at the title picture and imagine that the agents are voicing their complaints, and ICE Barbie telling them to shut up – that they got to meet HER and get their picture taken with her. Like that’s all the ‘bonus’ they should expect!
Friends, I know everyone begs you for money. I promise, among all those asking for spare change, we are the smallest and the hardest working. We’re a group of old, disabled people, except for one writer in his mid-50s. The rest of us are in our sixties and seventies, and this is a labor of love. All we’re asking for is the chance to keep telling the truth about Trump and help ensure democracy survives. If you can help, please do. Thank you. Ursula
the word is schadenfreud. as for sign up bonuses, in most businesses that’s not literal. they don’t hand you a big check when you accept a job offer. they’re not going to hand you a big check and let you quit as soon as you’ve cashed it. you have to show a commitment to staying on the job so those bonuses are typically paid after you have been there for an extended period of time. my current job had a 3000 sign on bonus. i got 1000 after 30 days and the other 2000 after six months. the ice bonuses specify up to 50000. that top amount is presumably for former ice agents who know the job and can just step back into it. someone with a ged and limited or no work experience is going to get significantly less.
Actually, Bob, the word is “schadenfreude.” (A typical fun German compound word made from the words “Schaden,” meaning “to damage, to harm” and “Freude,” meaning “joy, delight.”)