Dean Cain, best known for playing Superman in the 1990s series Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman, has faced widespread ridicule after a video surfaced of him struggling through a training course for US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
The 59-year-old actor recently announced he is becoming an “honorary” ICE officer in an effort to boost recruitment numbers for the agency, which has launched a major drive under former President Donald Trump’s immigration policies.
Cain insisted that his decision was about standing with law enforcement, telling Fox News: “People don’t realize, they think that ICE is this horrible, nefarious group and they’re not – they’re phenomenal people. I stand with our law enforcement.”
But when footage aired of Cain attempting an obstacle course at the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center in Georgia, critics online were quick to mock the actor’s performance.
In the video, Cain is seen sluggishly climbing over a wall, crawling through a barrel, dragging a heavy dummy, and later firing weapons at a shooting range alongside acting ICE director Todd Lyons.
Social media erupted with jokes, with one viewer quipping: “Was the video slowed down?” Another wrote: “So basically when the citizens start fighting back — ICE is screwed.” Others described the training setup as a “kiddy playground” and called his performance “utterly embarrassing.”
Cain, however, hit back at the criticism, framing it as political. “What you’re making fun of is me standing up for federal law enforcement and American citizens,” he said. “If you want to make fun of me for that, go ahead.”
The former Superman actor has positioned himself as a strong supporter of Trump’s immigration crackdown. Earlier this month, he declared, “If you want to help save America, ICE is arresting the worst of the worst and removing them from America’s streets. They need your help.”
Cain also highlighted ICE’s record, claiming that under Trump, the agency arrested “hundreds of thousands of criminals, including terrorists, rapists, murderers, pedophiles, MS-13 gang members, drug traffickers.”
Despite the backlash over Cain’s obstacle course attempt, ICE has welcomed his involvement, sharing clips of the training as part of its recruitment campaign. The agency is offering incentives including a $50,000 signing bonus, $60,000 in student loan repayment, and a 25% premium pay bump for successful applicants.
ICE says its recruitment drive has already attracted 100,000 applications for roughly 10,000 available positions, a surge partly credited to Cain’s publicity push and the lifting of age caps for new recruits.