Timothy White/Disney General Entertainment Content via Getty ImagesEx-Superman actor Dean Cain has announced he is planning to join the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency, known as ICE.
In an interview on Wednesday, Cain, who is already a sworn law enforcement officer, said, “I will be sworn in as an ICE agent asap”.
It comes after he released a video encouraging members of the public to join following a recruitment drive by the agency, which is behind the Trump administration’s ramped-up immigrant deportation efforts.
Cain played the role of Superman between 1993 and 1997 in the TV series, Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman.
Cain has gone on to star in a number of other films and TV shows, and has also directed.
In a statement, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) said Cain would be sworn in as an “honorary ICE Officer” in the coming month.
“Superman is encouraging Americans to become real-life superheroes by answering their country’s call to join the brave men and women of ICE to help protect our communities to arrest the worst of the worst,” said DHS assistant secretary Tricia McLaughlin.
In late July, ICE announced it was aiming to recruit an additional 10,000 new personnel, doubling the agency’s headcount as it ramps up deportations across the country.
It is specifically hoping to recruit deportation officers, along with attorneys, criminal investigators, student visa adjudicators and other roles.
Speaking on Fox News on Wednesday, Cain said: “I put out a recruitment video yesterday – I’m actually a sworn deputy sheriff and a reserve police officer – I wasn’t part of ICE, but once I put that out there and you put a little blurb on your show, it went crazy”.
“So now I’ve spoken with some officials over at ICE, and I will be sworn in as an ICE agent asap.”
Getty Images“People have to step up. I’m stepping up. Hopefully a whole bunch of other former officers, former ICE agents will step up, and we’ll meet those recruitment goals immediately and we’ll help protect this country,” Cain added.
US President Donald Trump has vowed to ramp up the pace of deportations from the US to one million per year.
Part of that effort has included increased immigration raids since Trump became president.
They have sparked protests in cities across the US, with critics calling the raids unlawful.
On 29 July, ICE announced it was offering recruitment bonuses of up to $50,000 (£37,700) and student loan help to Americans interested in helping with the Trump administration’s deportation drive.
As part of the recruitment drive, the DHS unveiled recruitment posters akin to those used during World War Two, with the words “America Needs You” and “Defend the Homeland” with images of Uncle Sam, US President Donald Trump, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem and other officials.
By Wednesday the agency said it had received more than 80,000 applicants for the 10,000 positions. Speaking on Fox News, Noem said they had removed age limits for how old applicants could be.
ICE currently has 20,000 officers and support personnel, spread across the country at 400 offices.
The recruitment drive comes just weeks after Trump signed his sweeping spending bill into law.
The bill included more than $76bn allocated to ICE – almost 10 times what it had been receiving previously – and making it the highest funded federal law enforcement agency.
