Actor who played Superman joins ICE ‘to help save America’

One-time Man of Steel encourages social media followers to join up in video promising ‘great benefits’ and a $50,000 signing-on bonus but is accused of betraying his most celebrated character’s values

Dean Cain, who starred as the Man of Steel in the ABC TV series Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman (1993-97), has announced that he has joined ICE to support President Donald Trump’s illegal immigration crackdown.

Cain, 59, took to social media on Tuesday to announce the news to his followers in a video post that played like a one-man recruitment drive.

The actor opened by telling his followers: “For those who don’t know, I am a sworn law enforcement officer, as well as being a filmmaker, and I felt it was important to join with our first responders to help secure the safety of all Americans, not just talk about it. So I joined up.”

Dean Cain starred as Superman on TV in the 1990s but is these days better known for his MAGA activism (Getty)

He continued: “Here’s your opportunity to join ICE. You can earn lots of great benefits and pay. Since President Trump took office, ICE has arrested hundreds of thousands of criminals including terrorists, rapists, murderers, pedophiles, MS-13 gang members, drug traffickers, you name it – very dangerous people who are no longer on the streets.”

Cain then reeled off a list of perks recruits could enjoy: “You can defend your homeland and get great benefits like a $50,000 signing bonus, think about that, student loan repayment (legally), enhanced retirement benefits and special for those in field operations and law enforcement roles.

“You also don’t need an undergraduate degree, you can get to work right away. So iIf 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.

“They need your help, we need your help, to protect our homeland for families. Join today if it’s something that tickles your fancy because we can use you.”

Cain’s video comes a week after Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem issued a press release telling Americans: “Your country is calling you to serve at ICE. Your country needs dedicated men and women of ICE to get the worst of the worst criminals out of our country.

“This is a defining moment in our nation's history. Your skills, your experience, and your courage have never been more essential. Together, we must defend the homeland.”

The actor’s enthusiastic endorsement of that message attracted some responses on X, including several pointing out that the maximum age for signing up is 37, more than two decades younger than Cain himself. However, that restriction appears to have since been lifted.

Federal agents guard an ICE detention center in downtown Los Angeles oin June (Getty)

One user told the actor, “Superman himself would be disappointed in you, Dean.” Cain replied simply: “Not a chance.”

The actor remains closely associated with the iconic superhero and recently applauded the White House for putting out a meme of President Trump wearing the signature red cape and tights, a post that also attracted plenty of derision from responders, pointing out that Superman himself is an immigrant to Earth.

A staunch MAGA conservative in other respects, Cain holds surprisingly progressive views regarding the man from Krypton, recently nominating Michael B Jordan to be the first Black incarnation of the character and praising James Gunn’s new blockbuster despite Fox News commentators slamming it as “superwoke” for carrying pro-migrant themes.

Cain is a regular guest on Fox and is so devoted to Trump’s cause that, in 2019, he appeared opposite original Buffy the Vampire Slayer star Kristy Swanson in the spoof play FBI Lovebirds: Undercovers, offering dramatic readings of the infamous text messages exchanged between agents Peter Strozk and Lisa Page, which Politico described as “Hamilton for the Make America Great Again crowd.”