It’s no secret that ICE agents were enticed with a $50,000 hiring bonus, but one man from Oregon has done the math and laid out an explanation as to why there’s no such thing as a “free lunch” in the Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency. Turns out the $50k signing or hiring bonus might not be all it’s cracked up to be, especially when staggered over five years and when you factor in the 2028 election.
TikTok user Jamal, aka jamalreally, of Oregon, posted his computation on January 27. A $50,000 bonus just boils down to $30,000 (or 6,000 per year) after taxes. The TikTok user even cheekily points out that time “keeps moving forward” to any hopeful ICE agent, meaning they have at most two years to enjoy their hiring bonus before the 2028 election happens, where new policies might disturb ICE’s status or budget. Of course, that is assuming there will be an election, or whoever’s going to win is someone “different.”
To make matters worse, the ICE hiring bonus has a “Repayment Clause” which states that quitting or getting fired for any reason means “You get to repay the full pre-tax amount of your bonus,” even if you only received the taxed amount. Hence, the $50k might end up being negative $30k or even negative $50k, both with interest, and ICE agents who lose their jobs might end up in debt, all because of a deceptively juicy hiring bonus.
People Online Say It’s Very On-Brand for the Current Administration
“Is it worth it?” the TikTok user asks as he further explains that having ICE on your CV and having your name officially in a federal database is another set of problems. Granted, this misfortune assumes ICE agents will quit or get fired, but those fortunate enough to stay the course might still get their $30,000 (after taxes).
While many commenters have praised Jamal for his explanation and computation, others believe that it might have been too complex for certain potential ICE agents. Commenters have since started mocking the intended audience for Jamal’s video, with one commenter joking, “This is probably too complex for them my guy 😭😭😭,” to which Jamal replies, “It’s worth a try.”
“I LOVE this for them! Because Trump ALWAYS finds a way to NOT pay people. Racism has a price. And apparently it’s -$10,000 per year!” celebrates another commenter, alluding to how President Trump has a history of cheating or stiffing workers out of the money they were promised.
Meanwhile, people were in disbelief at the Repayment Clause for the hiring bonus, because it brazenly indicated the pre-tax amount to be paid as a debt, even if the workers had to endure the large tax. “Pre tax amount is hysterical 💀” according to a commenter, as it doesn’t exactly sound right and makes the hiring bonus more of a figurative shackle.
