# TV commercials recruiting cops for ICE **URL:** \ **Category:** Politics & Elections\ **Created:** [September 25, 2025, 7:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-commercials-recruiting-cops-for-ice/1023394 "2025-09-25T19:53:43Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 13\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Roderick\_Femm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/roderick_femm/32/14875_2.png) [@Roderick\_Femm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Roderick_Femm)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2025, 7:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-commercials-recruiting-cops-for-ice/1023394/1 "2025-09-25T19:53:43Z")
I saw this yesterday, I’m wondering how many of these are showing. Unfortunately, I don’t remember the station, even whether it was local or national/cable. It was late afternoon or early evening. The basic line was to appeal to cops who don’t like the fact that they are working in cities where immigrants are supposedly getting away with horrible crimes, because the cops are not allowed to cooperate with ICE. The ad used phrases like “the worst of the worst” as practically synonymous with immigrants, not even just immigrants here illegally. Ice wants these cops to work for them instead, and they are offering $50,000 recruitment bonuses. This seemed like a genuine ad, based on fairly careful attention. Looking on YouTube to see if any of them have been posted, I did see a [news story](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cv3ufIUwJys) from a local Chicago station that contains clips of the same ad, except that one specifically mentions Chicago, while the one I saw didn’t mention any specific city. I live in San Francisco. There are also news clips from Seattle, Denver and Phoenix. This commercial really hit me in the gut. What next? ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2025, 7:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-commercials-recruiting-cops-for-ice/1023394/2 "2025-09-25T19:58:22Z")
> [@Roderick\_Femm](#): > > The ad used phrases like “the worst of the worst” as practically synonymous with immigrants, not even just immigrants here illegally. I’ve seen similar here in Northern Virginia but I wasn’t really paying attention so I can’t tell you who it was for. That “worst of the worst” stood out. ---
**Author:** ![Beckdawrek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beckdawrek/32/3647_2.png) [@Beckdawrek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beckdawrek)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2025, 8:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-commercials-recruiting-cops-for-ice/1023394/3 "2025-09-25T20:00:43Z")
I’m surprised they’re not using Dean Cain as a spokesman. ---
**Author:** ![MikeF](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@MikeF](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MikeF)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2025, 1:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-commercials-recruiting-cops-for-ice/1023394/4 "2025-10-01T01:54:03Z")
I’m kind of surprised The Lincoln Project hasn’t weighed on things with a new, national ad. Maybe they’re just saving their dollars for election season. ---
**Author:** ![Digital\_is\_the\_new\_Analog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a88e4f/32.png) [@Digital\_is\_the\_new\_Analog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Digital_is_the_new_Analog)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2025, 12:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-commercials-recruiting-cops-for-ice/1023394/5 "2025-10-01T12:27:00Z")
I saw one of these commercials during the Monday Night Football game. Not sure if it was a local commercial or national, but it made me want to change the channel. ---
**Author:** ![Atamasama](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atamasama/32/12961_2.png) [@Atamasama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atamasama)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2025, 4:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-commercials-recruiting-cops-for-ice/1023394/6 "2025-10-01T16:36:31Z")
I live in the Seattle area so we’ve been seeing them for a while. They imply that if you are a local police officer, you’re a chump and you need to join ICE to do _real_ law enforcement. I’m not in law enforcement, but that seems like all it will do is cause even more resentment for ICE from the agencies they’re running into conflict with. The only thing I see that might compel anyone is that they are offering a bonus to join them. Cops who are desperate for cash might come over. But I would think you’d have to really be hurting for money, or just hate your department or job to jump over. The sales pitch isn’t great. Here is an NPR article from a week ago talking about the Seattle area ads: > **[ICE launches ad campaign to recruit Seattle-area police](https://www.kuow.org/stories/immigration-customs-enforcement-ice-launches-ad-campaign-to-recruit-seattle-area-police)** > > TV ads now airing in Seattle are trying to recruit local police to work for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2025, 4:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-commercials-recruiting-cops-for-ice/1023394/7 "2025-10-01T16:41:53Z")
> [@Atamasama](#): > > But I would think you’d have to really be hurting for money, or just hate your department or job to jump over. Or want somewhere to be an asshole and hope to get away with it. ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2025, 5:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-commercials-recruiting-cops-for-ice/1023394/8 "2025-10-01T17:45:04Z")
Which is of course the real point. Calling all racist assholes; join us at ICE so you can release your rage on fresh helpless victims. ---
**Author:** ![Roderick\_Femm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/roderick_femm/32/14875_2.png) [@Roderick\_Femm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Roderick_Femm)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2025, 10:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-commercials-recruiting-cops-for-ice/1023394/9 "2025-10-01T22:13:47Z")
You left off the conclusion of that sentence: who, after all, only deserve that kind of treatment, because they are the worst of the worst. ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2025, 10:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-commercials-recruiting-cops-for-ice/1023394/10 "2025-10-01T22:20:17Z")
Those cops sure are. ---
**Author:** ![Beckdawrek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beckdawrek/32/3647_2.png) [@Beckdawrek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beckdawrek)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2025, 10:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-commercials-recruiting-cops-for-ice/1023394/11 "2025-10-01T22:25:35Z")
I just wonder how many cops who were let go because of _whatever._ People calling in complaints, about them from rough treatment or nasty remarks all the way up to some sexual misconduct or innuendo are applying. Yeah. They are all fixed and not acting bigoted or racist any more. I’ll believe that when pigs fly. This is gonna work out brilliantly, I just know it 🤔 ---
**Author:** ![Roderick\_Femm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/roderick_femm/32/14875_2.png) [@Roderick\_Femm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Roderick_Femm)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2025, 1:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-commercials-recruiting-cops-for-ice/1023394/12 "2025-10-02T01:39:20Z")
If you mean, find and employ more thugs to act thuggish in official capacities, yes, that’s exactly how it’s going to work out. ---
**Author:** ![Win\_Place\_Show](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/win_place_show/32/13469_2.png) [@Win\_Place\_Show](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Win_Place_Show)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2025, 5:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-commercials-recruiting-cops-for-ice/1023394/13 "2025-10-03T05:07:36Z")
Wonderful - just caught tonight’s Kimmel and as I fast-forwarded through the commercials I noticed this ICE bullshit ad came up at least twice (ABC affiliate in the DFW area). Otherwise, it was a pretty good show - he had a special guest appear during the monologue that I won’t spoil right now. Then Bruce Springsteen came along to chat, then the finale was Living Color performing live onstage “Cult Of Personality” from the 80’s, and killing every note of it.