Within just two weeks of launching a patriotism-themed join.ICE.gov website, Immigration and Customs Enforcement has been flooded with over 100,000 applications to help the Trump administration enforce our nation’s immigration laws. This ICE recruitment boom is part of a larger pattern of interest in serving the nation, particularly among young men filling security, law enforcement, and military service roles. It is a welcome change from Joe Biden’s presidency, when few were inspired to serve their country.
The decline in federal law enforcement service under the last Democratic president is completely understandable. Less than a year into his term, Biden’s open borders policies created a crisis at the southern border with over 10,000 Haitians camping in squalid conditions under a bridge in Texas waiting to be processed into the country through Biden’s catch-and-release policies.
When Border Patrol officers tried to end the chaos Biden himself had created and restore order, left-wing activists for the migrants falsely claimed that Border Patrol agents on horseback had whipped Haitians trying to enter the country illegally. “To see people treated like they did, horses running them over, people being strapped,” Biden said while making a whipping motion with his hand. “It’s outrageous. I promise you those people will pay.” It was a classic reiteration of the central bleeding heart lie that animates so much vacuous passion and policymaking on the Left.
Everything Biden said about the Border Patrol agents was false, as a subsequent investigation by the Department of Homeland Security proved. But Biden did not apologize to the agents he had slandered, who had only been trying to clean up his mess. Morale plummeted among Border Patrol staff after this incident. Who can be surprised?
Trump is the polar opposite of Biden and other elected Democrats who reflexively blame law enforcement for any incident, even before it is investigated. Trump believes in the mission of the Border Patrol. And he believes in the mission of ICE, unlike Democrats who are still calling the agency a “terrorist organization.” Trump also believes in the Secret Service, the FBI, the Coast Guard, and every branch of the military.
The agents know it, and those contemplating a career in one of these services also know it. Every young man thinking of serving his country has reason to be relieved and encouraged that the unpatriotic Democratic Party no longer controls the White House. That is why, in addition to ICE, there have been recruitment surges at the Border Patrol, the Secret Service, the FBI, the Coast Guard, and the Army. Record high levels are being achieved.
While Democrats, particularly young Democrats, are not proud to be American, Republican pride in being from the United States has surged since Trump was reelected, especially among young men who turned out for him in record numbers. Republicans are also much more likely to say the country’s best days are ahead of us, not behind us.
AT 90, SOCIAL SECURITY IS SHOWING ITS AGE
It is said that American men, particularly young men, are in trouble these days. Young men account for just 40% of college students and 33% of recent college graduates. Young men are more likely to abuse drugs, commit crimes, drop out of school, and die by suicide. They are less likely to vote and less likely to participate in politics. Many young men are lost. They need structure. They need a purpose. Across cultures and across time, young men thrive when they are taught to protect and provide for their communities. Trump is giving them that chance. He is giving them an opportunity to bring meaning and structure to their lives. And they are responding.
America’s future depends on restoring pride, purpose, and service among young men. Biden squandered that spirit with policies that demoralized those who protect our society. Under Trump, it is being revived. Young men are once again answering the call to defend their communities and their country. They are finding meaning in service, discipline in training, and pride in wearing a uniform of the United States. This surge is more than a hiring trend; it is a cultural renewal. Trump is proving that when leaders honor service, young men will rise to meet the challenge.