Federal agents working on the front lines of immigration enforcement could be looking at a major bump in their annual earnings under a new bill hitting the House floor.
Representative Greg Steube (R-Fla.) introduced the “Increased Compensation for Enforcement and Federal Retention for Officers in Strategic Theaters Act”—better known as the ICE FROST Act—on Friday, proposing a structured bonus system to keep personnel in the field.
The bill, designated as H.R. 224, targets “covered employees” specifically tasked with the identification, arrest, or removal of individuals unlawfully present in the U.S. According to the text, these officers would receive an automatic supplemental payment equal to 25% of their base salary.
READ: Florida Sen. Rick Scott’s New Bill Takes Aim At Federal Agent Doxxing
However, the incentives don’t stop there. Agents stationed in “hazardous duty areas” would receive an additional 15% on top of that, potentially raising their total annual compensation by 40% over their standard rate.
The legislation names nine specific metropolitan areas as hazardous zones, including Chicago, Detroit, Los Angeles, Memphis, Minneapolis-St. Paul, New York City, San Francisco, St. Louis, and the Washington-Baltimore corridor. To qualify for this extra pay, an area must show high levels of violent crime, presence of transnational gangs, or documented threats and assaults directed specifically at federal law enforcement.
“Federal law enforcement officers performing immigration enforcement operations are being sent into increasingly dangerous environments created by sanctuary city policies, violent criminal activity, and the consequences of the Biden administration’s open-border crisis,” Steube said. He argued that the bonuses are necessary because agents are “risking their lives to protect American communities” despite political opposition.
Financing for these lump-sum payments would come from a new set of surcharges on international money transfers. The bill amends the Internal Revenue Code to slap a $199 surcharge on any remittance sent to a “specified foreign country,” a list that includes Afghanistan, Haiti, Iran, Libya, and Somalia, among others.
READ: Rules For Thee, But Not for Me: Jeffries Fumes As Courts Block Democrat ‘Power Grab’
Additionally, a $99 fee would be applied to transfers headed to any nation where the visa overstay rate exceeds 2%. If a country falls into both categories, both fees would be combined.
Under the proposed rules, the Director of the Office of Personnel Management would be required to review these hazardous designations every year.
If an area is deemed to no longer meet the risk criteria—such as a drop in violent crime or a reduction in transnational gang activity—the extra 15% hazard pay would be terminated for that specific region. The bill has been referred to committee for further review.
Please make a small donation to the Tampa Free Press to help sustain independent journalism. Your contribution enables us to continue delivering high-quality, local, and national news coverage.
Sign up: Subscribe to our free newsletter for a curated selection of top stories delivered straight to your inbox
