This is Planet Money from NPR.
In the last year,
the Department of Homeland Security says 12,000 new agents and officers have joined US Immigration and Customs Enforcement,
or ICE.
This was an unprecedented hiring boom that more than doubled ICE's ranks.
The agency was aggressive in its recruitment efforts.
It waived age requirements and offered signing bonuses of up to $50,000.
The Department of Homeland Security says it's deploying agents to remove the quote,
worst of the worst from the US.
This large ramp up has turned ICE into arguably one of the fastest growing and most scrutinized workplaces in the country right now.
That's because its performance is highly visible and at times questionable.
The majority of immigrants caught up in this crackdown have no criminal convictions,
many have legal status, and even U.S.
citizens have been taken into custody.
Recent surveys show an increasing number of Americans saying the immigration crackdown has gone too far.
Some politicians and community leaders are even calling for ICE to be dismantled.
Others say they need better training or a culture shift or both.
Are those changes needed and would they even make a difference?
Hello and welcome to Planet Money.
I'm Waylon Wong, normally a co-host of Planet Money's daily podcast, The Indicator.