ICE Granted Direct Hire Authority by OPM

According to the official Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) recruitment website (ice.gov/careers), the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) granted ICE "direct hire authority" in 2025. According to the website, "Direct-hire authority allows federal agencies to hire individuals without using traditional rating, ranking, and selection procedures, including the application of veterans’ preference." The website lists "recent and evolving geopolitical and global economic events" as the justification for OPM's grant of this special hiring authority to ICE. It does not appear that the document granting the authority is public, so its exact date is uncertain. The website states it was updated 08/19/2025.