The US compensates immigration agents with bonuses for each arrest.

In an effort to encourage more migrant arrests, agencies such as the Border Patrol and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) have a bonus program for agents who make a certain number of arrests.

According to documents reviewed by media outlets such as El Universal , in Texas and Florida, border agents receive between $1,500 and $5,000 depending on the number of arrests they make each month. In areas like Florida, bonuses reach up to $7,500 if the agent participates in night raids.

Based on base salaries for officers, those with the most seniority and productivity can earn up to $234,000 annually, far exceeding the salary of a state trooper, which is around $50,000 a year.

According to the same documents, a new officer whose base salary is $8,000 a month can receive a raise of up to $12,000 in less than six months if he or she meets a quota of 10 arrests a day.

Experts agree that these types of incentives only promote arbitrary detentions based on the detainees’ skin color and origin, as has been documented by various media outlets.