Although ICE Criminal Investigators face child pornographers, organized crime, and drug smugglers in Vermont just as they do in other states, Vermont is special because it is home to several ICE units that provide vital services for the entire nation.
Located just outside Burlington in the suburb of Williston, ICE operates three important national centers:
- Law Enforcement Support Center
- National Bulk Cash Smuggling Center
- ICE Homeland Security Investigations Tip Line
Each of these facilities provides actionable intelligence to ICE Homeland Security Criminal Investigators throughout the state, nation, and globe. Candidates interested in learning how to become an ICE Agent in Vermont can begin by reviewing the initial qualifications for criminal investigators.
Qualifying Education and Experience for ICE Careers
ICE Criminal Investigators need to have the willpower as well as the brainpower to combat immigration and customs violators on multiple fronts at once. That is why candidates interested in applying for ICE jobs need to have a bachelor degree in any subject, with either an added year of postgraduate study or one of the following academic distinctions:
- 3.5 GPA in school program major
- 3.0 GPA cumulatively or in the final two years of study
- Graduating in the top third of the class or major
- Membership of a non-freshman national honors society
A degree in any of the following will also help to fulfill the requirement of having a year of experience dealing with law enforcement or criminal investigations:
- Crime Scene Investigation
- Police Science
- Forensic Science
- Law Enforcement
- Criminal Justice
- Law
Applying and Working in Vermont
Once prospective agents are ready they can find ICE openings on the government’s USA Jobs website. Before applying candidates will need to confirm they are US citizens with no felony convictions and are between the ages of 21-37 with exceptions for federal police and veterans. Once hired, agents will complete 22 weeks of basic training and may then be assigned to a position in Vermont. ICE careers in Vermont can be more varied than those of most states of similar size because of the three key national facilities located in Williston.
National Bulk Cash Smuggling Center (BCSC)
ICE Criminal Investigators working at the BCSC are tasked with intercepting cash quantities over $10,000 crossing the border, one of the most common methods criminal organizations transport money. Acting as an intelligence interface between local, state, and federal law enforcement agencies, operations developed in the BCSC have since 2009 led to the arrest of 808 people and the seizure of nearly $320 million.
Law Enforcement Support Center
ICE maintains over 298,900 administrative and criminal records at its Law Enforcement Support Center. All levels of law enforcement – local, state, tribal, and federal – use this center as a resource to find information about a person’s immigration status, identity, and criminal convictions. The center works closely with National Crime Information Center and the FBI’s National Instant Criminal Background Check System.
ICE Homeland Security Investigations Tip Line
Last year agents received more than 180,000 tips from the ICE HSI Tip Line, which is staffed around the clock all days of the year. Callers from across the world make reports to investigators assigned to the Tip Line Unit on a wide variety of subjects including:
- Acts of terrorism
- Criminal activity
- Human trafficking and smuggling
- Sexual exploitation of children
- Large quantities of cash smuggling
- Intellectual property rights violations
- Employment law violations
- Drug trafficking