ICE (Immigrations and Customs Enforcement) officials in New Hampshire act under the auspices of the Boston Field Office. Special agents in the state have been actively investigating a wide array of criminal conspiracies. This has ranged from tracking down individuals who are involved in child pornography to identifying drug dealers.
To ensure that companies comply with the requirement to hire those legally able to work in the US, ICE has developed a program that goes by the name of Mutual Agreement between Government and Employers (referred to as IMAGE). The high-profile New Hampshire firearms manufacturer Sig Sauer officially partnered with this program in 2013.
What it Takes to Become an ICE Agent in New Hampshire
ICE agents in New Hampshire carry out the agency’s mission of protecting the security of American citizens. The agency has a number of requirements for those seeking careers as special agents, also known as criminal investigators. A primary requirement is that all applicants be US citizens.
Educational Requirements – With some exceptions, special agents for ICE are required to have a high level of education. ICE requires at least a bachelor’s degree, and if the applicants do not meet certain standards, they are required to attend graduate school for a year.
The standards in getting a bachelor’s degree that exempts the need for graduate school include having a high GPA. This can be a 3.0 in all courses over the last two years, or a 3.5 in courses specific to their major. Having a 3.5 in the final two years will suffice.
There are other ways to meet the requirement for demonstrating high academic performance in a bachelor’s degree program. One is to achieve a rank in the top third of the class, while the other is to have been elected to a national honor society.
Getting a Waiver of the Requirement – ICE actively recruits veterans to become special agents, and they may be exempt from the rule that applicants be younger than 37. Those who have served as law enforcement officials or who have had jobs investigating crimes can use their backgrounds to substitute for part of the educational requirement.
Recruit Training – Once applicants have passed the rigorous screening and background check required to become an ICE agent, these recruits are thoroughly trained in law enforcement and investigative techniques for 22 weeks. This takes place at the Federal Law Enforcement Center (FELC) in Brunswick, Georgia. Agents graduate from this program educated, highly fit, and skilled in using firearms.
ICE Operations Conducted in New Hampshire
Some of the types of crimes that have been stopped by ICE agents in New Hampshire are shown below.
As the result of an extensive ICE investigation, a Manchester woman was sentenced to 10 years in jail in 2013 for having concealed her involvement in the 1994 genocide in Rwanda. She had been a part of a militia that persecuted and murdered people who were Tutsi. This was the first conviction in the US for concealing involvement in the Rwandan genocide.
ICE’s national efforts to stop child pornography and exploitation reach every state in the country. A Somersworth man received a 20 year federal prison sentence for luring a young boy he had met online to have sex with him. He transported the boy from Maine to New Hampshire for this purpose. The man also possessed child pornography.
As part of the an ICE international investigation into pedophiles that shared pornography in the members only bulletin board Dreamboard, a Bristol man was arrested in 2012 for his role in the conspiracy. As a condition of membership, the participants are required to regularly upload images of child porn. ICE agents are working on identifying and rescuing the estimated 38 children who are being abused by Dreamboard participants.