There are mass lay off and bills need to be paid. If i have to choose between homelessness and ICE. Im taking ICE.
Get in during this administration and get out before the next. Stack that money, invest it and get out.
Its rough out here so i understand if people want to make the 6 figures
It's a very slow. Getting your clearance and background done can be a whole year. It's even longer these days because DOGE has fired a lot of the people who would be doing this work. You are basically applying for July 2026 at best, maybe January 2027 at worst.
And it's not just checking your background and employment references like a normal job
- They have to go call every neighbor you've had in the last 20 years.
- They've got to reach out to even roommates you had way back in college.
- They need your medical records until grades school.
- They will contact all your coworkers you've had in the last decade.
- And if you can't find a single one of their numbers that means months and months and months of delay time.
- Passport bros will suffer because if you have taken a vacation to any country which has had cartels or terrorist groups that can be an instant disqualifier. (Which is a problem for people that have been to Southeast Asia, Latin America, Africa, or the Middle East on tourism)
- West Coast Brehs Will suffer too because any marijuana use , even for documented medical purposes is an instant disqualifier.
- And at the end of all of this there's a janky polygraph.
So Odds are high you'll find another job in the meantime. A few months ago, I had considered doing tech for one of the three letter agencies. But I looked at the timeline and realized the opportunity cost made no sense unless you were doing literally nothing with your life during the screening process. And God forbid you complete this year long process and you still fail the clearance.
I think the only group of people that can go directly into federal law enforcement are military guys. A military career structures all of your references, living arrangements, and clearance in such a way that most of the border patrol screening is a formality.