The Department of Defense is urging its employees to volunteer for the Department of Homeland Security’s immigration crackdown. In a recent memo, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth encouraged supervisors to promote the volunteer program to their civilian employees.
Volunteering for Immigration Enforcement
The memo, sent to thousands of civilian DOD employees, follows a June 2025 memo that authorized civilian employees to be detailed to DHS. However, an Army civilian employee claims that there is now more pressure on supervisors to encourage their employees to volunteer.
Meanwhile, the DOD and DHS have not responded to requests for comment. Additionally, the employee notes that volunteering for another federal agency is not common, especially given the current workload and staffing shortages within the Defense Department.
Impact on Defense Department Employees
The request for volunteers comes as the Defense Department is engaged in directing the US’s role in conflict with Iran. Furthermore, the department is also dealing with staffing shortages due to the Trump administration’s efforts to cut back on government jobs.
For example, the Army civilian employee mentioned that they have taken on the duties of three departed colleagues, making it difficult for the department to lose more staff or for workers to step away from existing projects.
Finally, DOD employees who want to volunteer to be detailed to DHS need to apply through USAJobs. The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) will be reviewing applications, and volunteers will be sent to various ICE and CBP facilities throughout the US.
