The actor who portrayed Superman in the 1990s television series has revealed plans to become an immigration enforcement officer, announcing during a Fox News appearance on Wednesday that he will be “sworn in as an ICE agent, ASAP”.
Dean Cain, 59, told presenter Jesse Watters that officials from Immigration and Customs Enforcement had contacted him following his release of a recruitment video on Tuesday.
“I put out a recruitment video yesterday — I’m actually a sworn deputy sheriff and a reserve police officer — I wasn’t part of ICE, but once I put that out there and you put a little blurb on your show, it went crazy,” Cain explained during the broadcast.
The former star of Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman confirmed he had already held discussions with ICE representatives about his imminent appointment.
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His social media recruitment appeal featured the actor promoting various incentives for potential applicants, including a £40,000 signing bonus, student loan repayment assistance, enhanced retirement packages, and special compensation for field operations personnel.
“Here’s your opportunity to join ICE. You can earn lots of great benefits and pay,” Cain stated in the video message posted on Instagram and X.
The actor emphasised that candidates would not require an undergraduate degree and could begin work immediately.
“If you want to help save America, ICE is arresting the worst of the worst and removing them from America’s streets. I like that. I voted for that,” he declared in the recording.
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His video concluded with an appeal for public assistance: “They need your help, we need your help, to protect our homeland for families.”
The announcement prompted immediate criticism on social media platforms, with several users claiming his stance was a contradiction between Cain’s new role and Superman’s fictional background as an alien immigrant from Krypton.
“Superman himself would be disappointed in you, Dean,” one X user wrote, to which Cain responded simply: “Not a chance.”
Multiple commenters initially noted that ICE’s maximum recruitment age of 37 would disqualify the 59-year-old actor, though this restriction appears to have been subsequently lifted.
“Unfortunately, you can’t join ICE if you’re over 37 years of age — even if you’re a fully licensed state law enforcement officer,” one follower pointed out.
Cain replied: “Perhaps we’ll get that changed…”
Within hours, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem announced during a Fox News appearance that the age cap for ICE recruitment had been eliminated.
During his Fox News appearance, Cain defended his decision by citing America’s immigration challenges and President Trump’s electoral mandate.
“This country was built on patriots stepping up, whether it was popular or not, and doing the right thing. I truly believe this is the right thing,” he told Watters.
The actor, who has been a reserve police officer in Idaho since 2018, argued that congressional inaction necessitated immediate measures.
“We have a broken immigration system. Congress needs to fix it, but in the interim, President Trump ran on this. He is delivering on this. This is what people voted for. It’s what I voted for, and he’s going to see it through, and I’ll do my part and help make sure it happens,” Cain stated.
ICE’s recruitment drive forms part of a broader expansion following congressional approval of funding for 10,000 additional agents by 2029, with the agency promoting a “Defend the Homeland” campaign across major cities, university campuses and job fairs.
The initiative comes as ICE intensifies enforcement operations, with the agency reportedly targeting 3,000 daily arrests according to internal directives.
Recent data indicates that 65 percent of the 200,000 individuals detained by ICE since October 2024 had no criminal convictions, whilst 93 percent had not committed violent crimes.
The enforcement activities have sparked nationwide protests, with demonstrators and civilians filming arrests facing prosecution.