ICE Agents are highly trained and educated specialists who conduct missions to further Homeland Security initiatives. In North Dakota, ICE Special Criminal Investigators commonly conduct missions targeting three primary areas of federal crime: drugs, those who exploit children, and illegal immigration.
North Dakota has seen a rise in recent years of clandestine drug manufacturing for domestic consumption, as well as national distribution. And being a border state with Canada, there is also a heightened risk for illegal immigration. ICE jobs in North Dakota often involve working in close collaboration with partner law enforcement agencies including:
- Fargo Police Department
- North Dakota Bureau of Criminal Investigations
- North Dakota Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force
- Bismarck Police Department
ICE Agent Education Requirements
When learning how to become an ICE Agent in North Dakota, the first thing prospective ICE Agents can do is develop a strategy around meeting the education requirement. Academic requirements can be fulfilled with any one of the following:
- A bachelor degree plus one year of graduate study
- A bachelor degree with one of the following:
- 3.0 in all courses or those completed in the final two years of study
- 3.5 in the major field of study
- Ranking in the top third of class or academic major
- Election to a non-freshman national honors society
Any nationally-accredited bachelor school program will fulfill the education requirement, and having completed a master degree can qualify applicants to enter at a higher pay level. With nearly one dozen colleges and universities in the state as well as online schools, four-year degrees are in close proximity.
Qualifying for North Dakota ICE Agent Careers
In addition to qualifying for ICE jobs through education, candidates will also need to meet some other basic requirements:
- US Citizenship and Driver’s License
- Be able to maintain proficiency with and carry a firearm
- Be between the ages of 21-37 unless the candidate is a qualifying veteran or has served in civilian federal law enforcement
- Have at least a year of e training or experience in criminal or civil investigations, law, civil procedures, or creating investigative reports
- Have no felony convictions
Upon being selected for hire, training for new ICE careers will commence. This involves 22 intensive weeks at the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center in Brunswick, Georgia that must be successfully completed before agents will receive their first assignment.
ICE Focus in North Dakota
As part of operations conducted under the Department of Homeland Security, ICE Agents have made dozens of arrests and gathered evidence to secure just as many convictions in North Dakota related to the production, distribution, and possession of child pornography. Nationwide in 2013 more than 2,000 child sexual predators were arrested in Homeland Security operations, with recent North Dakota cases including:
- As part of Project Safe Childhood, ICE Homeland Security Investigations helped to secure a 30-year prison sentence for a man discovered to be producing child pornography after he inadvertently left his cell phone with incriminating evidence at a concert. The man received the maximum sentence because of the extent of his crimes and to set a precedent for other child predators.
- As part of Operation Predator, Homeland Security ICE Criminal Investigators helped to secure a 30-year conviction against a Rolla woman in a Bismarck court on two counts of sexually exploiting a minor. The woman received the maximum penalty for her crimes to send a message that child exploitation brings serious consequences.