A Chicago-based man who previously worked at Taco Bell has told Newsweek that he applied to join Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) because of former President Joe Biden’s policies.
Alexander Acevedo, who worked as a shift manager at Taco Bell for eight years between 2014 and 2022, said he was motivated by concerns over public safety.
“Biden and his incompetence” led him to apply for a role with ICE, he told Newsweek.
Newsweek has reviewed Acevedo’s confirmation email from DHS, which states he applied for a role as a deportation officer. Acevedo is currently working at Jewel-Osco, a grocery store.
Why It Matters
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has launched a nationwide recruitment drive for ICE officers, citing a need for more personnel to manage enforcement and deportation responsibilities. DHS announced that ICE has received over 150,000 applications from Americans interested in joining the agency. ICE has issued more than 18,000 tentative job offers, according to DHS. The agency is offering several incentives, including a signing bonus of up to $50,000 and student loan repayment.
What To Know
Acevedo said he applied to ICE to help make the United States safer.
“I applied because I want to help make my country a safer place for my children and other Americans. I want to help my country, my city has a big illegal problem,” he said.
He praised the Trump administration’s efforts to conduct widespread deportations as it looks to remove millions of undocumented immigrants.
Chicago has seen increased federal attention in recent weeks as ICE has conducted multiple operations targeting individuals with outstanding deportation orders, often in coordination with local law enforcement.
The Trump administration has ramped up immigration enforcement in Chicago through Operation Midway Blitz, targeting individuals in the country without legal status who have criminal records or pending charges.
Operation Midway Blitz was launched in connection with the death of Katie Abraham, a 20-year-old Illinois college student killed in a hit-and-run incident. This allegedly involved Guatemalan national Julio Cucul-Bol, who was not legally in the U.S. and had used forged documents to hide his identity, police said.
The operation has prompted protests in the city from groups advocating for the protection of undocumented immigrants.
The increased enforcement follows President Donald Trump’s statements about deploying the National Guard to Chicago to address crime.
Acevedo described the federal efforts as “great for the city,” saying he is “thankful for President Trump” and supportive of any enforcement action to deport migrants without legal status.
Acevedo criticized Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker and Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson.
“Pritzker cares more about criminals and illegal immigrants than American citizens,” Acevedo said, calling the governor “the dumbest person in Illinois politics.”
On Mayor Johnson, he said: “Brandon Johnson is just a racist tool put in to get the minority vote. He doesn’t know anything about politics.”
Newsweek has contacted the offices of both Johnson and Pritzker for comment.
Acevedo, who is Puerto Rican and voted for Trump, is still waiting to hear back from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) on the status of his application.
People born in Puerto Rico have been automatically U.S. citizens since July 25, 1917, when the Jones-Shafroth Act was passed. This law granted citizenship at birth to all Puerto Ricans, making them U.S. citizens without the need for naturalization. Although Puerto Rico is a U.S. territory and not a state, its residents enjoy most of the same rights as citizens in the states, except that, for example, they cannot vote in presidential elections while living on the island.
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