Dean Cain, the actor who played Superman in the 1990s, says he will be sworn in as a US Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent “asap” in response to Donald Trump’s recruitment drive.

Cain is best known for starring in the TV series Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman opposite actor Teri Hatcher as Lois.

He is also a filmmaker, sworn deputy sheriff and reserve police officer.

Cain said he was “stepping up” because he wanted to help with Trump’s anti-immigration agenda, which has involved raids across the country.

“I felt it was important to join with our first responders to help secure the safety of all,” Cain, 59, said in a video on his social media channels.

“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.”

In an interview with Fox, Cain said he had spoken to officers at ICE and he was going to be sworn in as an agent “asap”.

“Hopefully, a whole bunch of other former officers, former ICE agents, will step up and we’ll meet those recruitment goals immediately, and we’ll help protect this country.”

ICE is on a recruitment drive to hire an extra 10,000 agents by 2029. It was awarded $US75 billion ($115 billion) in funding under President Trump’s “big beautiful bill”.

Cain urged Americans to join the fight and earn “great benefits” in the process, such as a $US50,000 ($76,000) sign-up bonus and retirement perks.

He said since Trump’s election, the government had rounded up “hundreds of thousands” of terrorists, rapists, gang members and drug dealers.

“Very dangerous people who are now no longer on the streets,” he said.

Dean Cain is spruiking the perks of becoming an ICE agent. Photo: Facebook

However, social media users were unimpressed with Cain’s career change, with many pointing out his Japanese ancestry.

“This is incredibly ironic coming from a direct descendant of Japanese immigrants who were held in internment camps during WWII. Absolutely wild,” posted gabriellemarie6 in the comments.

Curlyzebra wrote: “So this is what washed-up actors do in their spare time? Become part of a fascist dictatorship? Cool story, bro.”

Another person questioned Cain’s facts. “Do you realise that ICE IS NOT arresting the worst of the worst!” wrote kaernairvine.

“They are literally racially profiling Latinos and stalking courts to attack those that are doing the right thing and following the rule of the law!”

Cain has previously described Trump as “one of the most empathetic, wonderful, generous people you’ll ever meet”.

“I love President Trump. I’ve been friends with him forever,” he told Variety.

Trump has stepped up arrests of illegal immigrants, cracked down on unlawful border crossings and stripped legal status from hundreds of thousands of migrants since January 20.

He has vowed to deport millions of people in the country illegally, although his administration has faced dozens of lawsuits across the country for its tactics.

Earlier this week, US border agents were directed to stop deportations under Trump’s asylum ban, CBS News reported, citing two unnamed Department of Homeland Security officials.

The direction came after a three-judge panel at the US Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia circuit on Friday partially granted an order that limited the asylum ban, saying it cannot be used to entirely suspend humanitarian protections for asylum seekers, according to CBS.

Officials at Customs and Border Protection were instructed last weekend to stop deportations under Trump’s asylum ban and process migrants under US immigration law, CBS said.

In July, a lower court judge blocked the ban on asylum at the US-Mexico border, saying Trump had exceeded his authority when he issued a proclamation declaring illegal immigration an emergency and setting aside existing legal processes.

The American Civil Liberties Union brought the challenge to the ban in February, on behalf of three advocacy groups and migrants denied access to asylum. It argued the broad ban violated US laws and international treaties.

-with AAP