Immigration is on people's minds across the country, and a group of government workers spend their days on the front lines of this issue. They are Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers, a part of the nation's security forces that until recently lived in the shadow of the FBI, DEA and ATF.

The job description for ICE officers touts "ever-changing challenges, doing necessary work that protects the welfare of American citizens." Though increasingly identified as the immigration raiders, the ICE also fights human trafficking and child exploitation, investigates cyber crimes, hunts fugitives, and protects intellectual property rights.  

Part of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), Immigration and Customs Enforcement utilizes the government's second largest cadre of law enforcement officers to ensure the nation's economic, transportation, and infrastructure security. ICE enforces immigration and customs laws and protects federal facilities. The workforce identifies criminal activities and eliminates vulnerabilities that pose a threat to our nation's borders. Some of the career opportunities include:

• Detect and expose identity and benefit fraud
• Investigate the illegal export of U.S. weapons and sensitive technologies
• Combat human smuggling and trafficking operations
• Fight child exploitation by utilizing the technology of our cyber crimes center and working in partnership with law enforcement agencies around the world
• Protect critical infrastructure and ensure fair labor standards at key worksites like nuclear  and chemical plants
• Investigate financial crimes
• Investigate all types of contraband smuggling

Before you go buy your hand-cuffs and gun, you will need to qualify at the GS-9 level. So if you possess one year of specialized experience that equipped you with the skills needed to perform the job duties, such as: searching and analyzing information from records/databases to confirm the identity of individuals arrested or detained; interviewing individuals (e.g., criminals, detainees, aliens, witnesses) to obtain and verify facts; securing signed statements, affidavits and documentary evidence to be included in reports or case files; writing reports concerning apprehensions, interviews, and other law enforcement-related activities; and performing law enforcement support duties such as taking fingerprints and photographs, conducting interviews, and responding to general immigration inquiries, go to www.usajobs.com and apply.