Retired staff can earn up to $50,000 incentive to rejoin ICE as former employees
In a move aimed at bolstering its operational capabilities, the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) is offering a unique opportunity to retired ICE employees. The agency has introduced the Dual Compensation Waiver (DCW), allowing re-employed annuitants to serve on a term-limited basis, enabling them to receive both their full federal retirement annuity and a full salary simultaneously without offset.
The DCW is part of ICE's "Operation Return to Mission," an initiative designed to bring experienced former employees back into service quickly to strengthen agency operations, such as immigration enforcement efforts. Under this arrangement, appointments are discretionary and temporary, typically lasting one to four years, with possible extensions depending on agency needs.
This waiver eliminates the usual salary offset rule that would reduce federal retirement benefits when a retiree is rehired into a federal position. Retirees who take up this opportunity stand to gain their full pension payments concurrently with their full salary for the duration of their employment. ICE has even offered incentives such as signing bonuses of up to $50,000 to attract retirees back to work.
ICE has received $8 billion under the Big Beautiful Bill to hire 10,000 new officers over the next four years. This initiative, combined with the DCW, could see a significant influx of experienced personnel into the agency.
Meanwhile, in other developments, House lawmakers have introduced the bipartisan ePermit Act to digitize the federal permitting process. This legislation aims to establish a framework for agencies to adopt a digital permitting system and unified portal, streamlining the permitting process for various projects.
However, there has been pushback from the Republican-led House on President Trump's executive order attempting to block collective bargaining across numerous federal agencies. The version of the Defense authorization bill the House Armed Services Committee passed includes a provision that would block the EO from being implemented in the Defense Department.
Good government groups are warning of the negative effects of President Trump's new political hiring pipeline, called Schedule G, on the civil service. Plans for a department-wide reduction in force at the Department of Veterans Affairs have been called off, but its reorganization plans remain ongoing.
The Senate Select Committee on Intelligence has voted to advance the 2026 Intelligence Authorization Act, which includes provisions to cap the size of the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, strengthen cybersecurity requirements, and eliminate the requirement for the general counsels at ODNI and CIA to receive Senate confirmation.
In a separate development, probationary employees who were fired from their jobs at the Interior Department can now pursue their appeals as a class action. Lastly, copyright © 2025 for this platform is reserved, and this website is not intended for users within the European Economic Area.
- The Dual Compensation Waiver (DCW) offered by the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) falls under the agency's "Operation Return to Mission," which focuses on bringing back experienced former employees to the federal workforce, such as retired ICE employees, to strengthen immigration enforcement efforts.
- The recent bipartisan ePermit Act, designed to digitalize the federal permitting process, could potentially streamline project approvals across various agencies, marking a significant change in the civil service and general-news realms.
- The Senate Select Committee on Intelligence has advanced the 2026 Intelligence Authorization Act, which, among other provisions, includes a cap on the size of the Office of the Director of National Intelligence and strengthens cybersecurity requirements, impacting federal hiring and finance, as well as politics.
