Deportation Officer

About the role

Are you ready to defend the homeland? Launch a dynamic and rewarding career as a Deportation Officer with Enforcement Removal Operations (ERO) at ICE! Join a dedicated team safeguarding U.S. borders and upholding immigration laws, playing a key role in defending our nation.

Organizational Location: Positions are located within ERO Field Office Areas of Consideration (FOD AOR) and are assigned based on the needs of the agency.

What you will do

• As a Deportation Officer at the Entry Level, you will work with more experienced officers to provide support and perform the following segments of work related to immigration investigation, custody, identification and location, arrest, prosecution and deportation: Assist with the apprehension of individuals that are accused of violating immigration or related laws; Assist with preparing investigative reports in sufficient detail and accuracy to support possible prosecution and/or administrative action; Perform law enforcement support duties such as taking fingerprints and photographs; Conduct routine interviews using various law enforcement methods and techniques (e.g., observation, interviews, document inspection, data analysis, etc.) to respond to a variety of immigration inquiries and complaints; and Document, transport, deport, and/or escort criminal and non-criminal migrants under the guidance of a more senior officer.
• Initiate both criminal and civil prosecutions and deport migrants to foreign countries as well as performing various aspects of custodial operations related to civil immigration enforcement.
• This is an open continuous announcement closing 09/30/2026.
• The initial cut-off date for qualified applicants to be considered for selection is scheduled for 08/14/2026.
• Additional cut-off dates for selection consideration will be established based on agency needs.
• NOTE: Applicants currently serving in the ICE Deportation Officer position cannot use this announcement for reassignment, promotion or change to lower grade purposes.
• View Common Definitions of terms found in this announcement.
• These are non-bargaining unit positions.
• The Department of Homeland Security encourages persons with disabilities to apply, to include persons with intellectual, severe physical or psychiatric disabilities, as defined by 5 CFR 213.3102(u), and or Disabled Veterans with a compensable service-connected disability of 30 percent or more as defined by 5 CFR 315.707.
• Veterans, Peace Corps/VISTA volunteers, and persons with disabilities possess a wealth of unique talents, experiences, and competencies that can be invaluable to the DHS mission.
• If you are a member of one of these groups, you may not have to compete with the public for federal jobs.
• To determine your eligibility for non-competitive appointment and to understand the required documentation, click on the links above or contact the Servicing Human Resources Office listed at the bottom of this announcement.
• Current or Former Political Appointees: The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) must authorize employment offers made to current or former political appointees.
• If you are currently, or have been within the last 5 years, a political Schedule A, Schedule C, Non-career SES or Presidential Appointee employee in the Executive Branch, you must disclose this information to the Human Resources Office.
• Probationary Period: This is a full-time permanent position (Career/Career-Conditional appointment).
• Upon appointment to this position, you may be required to serve a one-year probationary period.
• Promotion Potential: When promotion potential is shown, the agency is not making a commitment and is not obligated to provide future promotions to you if you are selected.
• Future promotions will be dependent on your ability to perform the duties at a higher level, the continuing need for an employee assigned to the higher level, and administrative approval.
• Geographic Locations: You have the opportunity to identify TWO geographic preferences in your application.
• Your preference locations are NOT guaranteed.
• Your preferred locations are not guaranteed.
• The duty location extended at the final job offer will be based on the needs of the Agency and availability of positions and funding.
• Upon final job offer you may be offered a duty location that is not within your geographic preferences.
• If you decline the duty location offered during the official job offer, you will be removed from further consideration and will have to reapply to a new announcement.
• Location: Selectees are required to pay all expenses to initial duty location.
• Travel expenses for training will be at Agency expense.
• A student loan repayment incentive may be available, in which case a service agreement will be required.

How you will be evaluated

We will review your resume and supporting documentation to ensure you meet the minimum qualification requirements. As part of this process, you will be required to complete a writing assessment to meet a minimum level of writing proficiency.

You must attain a minimum passing score in order to be considered further in the evaluation process.

In order to be considered for this position, you must complete all required steps in the process. Direct Hire Authority: These positions will be filled through the Office of Personnel Management's Direct Hire Authority. The "Rule of Three", Category Rating and Veterans Preference will not apply to this vacancy.

For more information on Direct Hire Authority, please see: OPM Direct Hire Fact Sheet.

Veterans: Although the Direct Hire Authority permits hiring without regard to Veterans Preference, applicants who are eligible for Veterans Preference are still encouraged to include that information in their application and submit supporting documentation (i.e. DD-214, or other substantiating documents). Staffing Policy View information on veterans' preference.

Interagency Career Transition Assistance Program (ICTAP) Eligibles: If you have never worked for the federal government, you are not ICTAP eligible. View information about ICTAP eligibility on OPM's Career Transition Resources website. To be considered eligible under ICTAP, you must be considered well qualified for this position.

In addition, you must submit the supporting documents listed under the required documents section of this job announcement. Interviews may be required for this position.

Failure to complete the interview may result in removal from further consideration.

Pursuant to Executive Order 12564, and the DHS Drug-Free Workplace Plan, ICE is committed to maintaining a drug-free workplace and, therefore, personnel in safety- or security-sensitive positions (testing designated positions) are subject to random drug testing.

Moreover, other drug testing of employees (e.g., reasonable suspicion drug test) may be conducted in order to ensure a safe and healthy work environment. All applicants tentatively selected for employment at ICE are subject to pre-employment drug testing and a final offer of employment is contingent upon a negative drug test result.

Documents you must provide

• 2-Page Resume showing relevant experience, education and training.
• Work experience must include: job title, duties, employer's name, employer's telephone number, employer's address, starting and ending dates (MM/YY), hours worked per week, and indicate whether or not we may contact your current supervisor.
• Please limit your resume to 2 pages.
• If more than 2 pages are submitted, only the first 2 pages will be reviewed to determine your eligibility/qualifications.
• In describing your experience on your resume, please be clear and specific.
• We will not make assumption regarding your experience.
• Do not copy and paste the duties, specialized experience, or occupational assessment questionnaire from this announcement into your resume as that will not be considered a demonstration of your qualifications for this position.
• (for more information, see the How do I write a resume for a federal Job-Two-Page Resume Limit).
• Are you qualifying based on education?
• Submit a copy of your college transcript (unofficial is acceptable) or a list of coursework with hours completed.
• Education completed in foreign colleges or universities may be used to meet Federal qualification requirements if you can show that your foreign education is comparable to education received in accredited educational institutions in the United States.
• For example, specific courses accepted for college-level credit by an accredited U.S. college or university, or foreign education evaluated by an organization recognized for accreditation by the Department of Education as education equivalent to that gained in an accredited U.S. college or university.
• It is your responsibility to provide such evidence with your application.
• See Recognition of Foreign Qualifications for more information.
• Submit Member Copy 4 of your DD-214 or other (Certificate of Release or Discharge from Active Duty) or notice form.
• Those applying for 10-Point preference must fill out the SF-15 and provide documentation that demonstrates preference eligibility.
• If applying based on eligibility under the Veterans Opportunity to Work (VOW) Act, you must submit certification from the Armed Forces that you will be discharged or released from active duty within 120 days from the date on the certification.
• This must indicate your dates of service, your rank, and confirm that you will be separated under honorable conditions.
• View more veterans' information.
• Are you claiming special priority selection rights under the Interagency Career Transition Plan (ICTAP)?
• If so, submit a copy of your agency notice, a copy of your most recent performance rating, and a copy of your most recent Notification of Personnel Action (SF-50) noting your current position, grade level, and duty location.
• Are you a current or former federal employee?
• Submit a copy of your most recent SF-50, Notification of Personnel Action that demonstrates your eligibility for consideration, e.g., length of time you have been in your current grade; your highest grade held; your current promotion potential and proof of permanent appointment if applying based on an interchange agreement.
• Examples of appropriate SF-50s include promotions, within-grade increases and accessions.
• Are you a current or former political Schedule A, Schedule C, Non-career SES or Presidential Appointee employee?
• Submit a copy of your applicable SF-50, along with a statement that provides the following information regarding your most recent political appointment: Position title, type of appointment (Schedule A, Schedule C, Non-career SES, or Presidential Appointee), agency and beginning and ending dates of appointment.
• If you are requesting a reasonable accommodation to the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments, submit documentation to support your request, including the Reasonable Accommodation Request Form found here.
• Failure to submit required documents will result in disqualification for this vacancy.
• The vacancy questionnaire includes four short, free-response essay questions.
• This provides an opportunity for you to highlight your dedication to public service for the hiring manager and agency leadership (or designee(s)).
• While your responses are not required and will not be scored, we encourage you to thoughtfully address each question.
• Please provide a response of 200 words or less to each question.
• You will be asked to certify that you are using your own words and did not use a consultant or artificial intelligence (AI) such as a large language model (LLM) like ChatGPT or Copilot.

Benefits

Benefits: DHS offers competitive salaries and an attractive benefits package, including: health, dental, vision, life, and long-term care insurance; retirement plan; Thrift Savings Plan [similar to a 401(k)]; Flexible Spending Account; Employee Assistance Program; personal leave days; and paid federal holidays.

Other benefits may include: flexible work schedules; telework; tuition reimbursement; transportation subsidies; uniform allowance; health and wellness programs; and fitness centers. DHS is committed to employee development and offers a variety of employee training and developmental opportunities.

For more information, go to the DHS Careers website and select "Benefits." Disabled veteran leave will be available to any Federal employee hired on or after November 5, 2016, who is a veteran with a service-connected disability rating of 30 percent or more.

What to expect next

Once you submit your application, we will assess your experience and training, identify the minimally qualified applicants, and refer those applications to the hiring manager for further consideration and interviews. We will notify you by email after each of these steps has been completed. Your status will also be updated on USAJOBS throughout the process.

To check your status, log on to your USAJOBS account, click on "Application Status," and then click "More Information." We expect to make a job offer within 60 days after the deadline for applications. If you are selected, we will conduct a suitability/security background investigation. View more information on applying for federal employment.

Based on your application and your responses to the application questionnaire, you may be presented with instructions on how to access the USA Hire system to complete the online assessments. The online assessments must be completed within 48 hours following the close of this announcement.

You will have the opportunity to request a testing accommodation for the assessment should you have a disability covered under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). Your assessment results will be kept on record for one year and used toward future positions for which you might apply that require the same assessments.

Any offers of employment made pursuant to this announcement will be consistent with all applicable authorities, including Presidential Memoranda, Executive Orders, interpretive U.S. Office of Management and Budget (OMB) and U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM) guidance, and Office of Management and Budget plans and policies concerning hiring.

These authorities are subject to change. If you are selected for the Deportation Officer position, you will receive a tentative offer letter via email. Tentatively selected applicants who clear pre- employment requirements will receive a final job offer with a determined location based on the needs of the Agency and the availability of funding and positions.

It is critical for applicants to check (and if necessary, update) their USAJOBS profile prior to applying to ensure their email address is correct and up to date. It is the applicant's responsibility to proactively search for communications, including in SPAM or junk mail folders.

Additional information

Mobility Agreement: This position is covered by the Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) 1801 Law Enforcement Officer (LEO) Mobility Program. As a condition of employment, Deportation Officers must sign a Mobility Agreement acknowledging their willingness to accept geographic reassignment to any ICE/ERO duty location as determined by operational needs.

Geographic preferences will be considered when practicable; however, management retains discretion to assign employees based on mission requirements. Employees will generally receive at least 90 days advance notice of relocation, unless essential mission requirements or approved exceptions necessitate a shorter notice period.

Relocation expenses for directed reassignments will be reimbursed in accordance with Federal Travel Regulations and agency policy.

Failure to sign or comply with the Mobility Agreement may result in administrative action, up to and including separation from federal service.

Motor Vehicle Operation: You must possess a valid state driver's license and be able to drive an automobile or light truck. You may also need to obtain and maintain a state commercial driver's license to operate an over-the-road bus capable of transporting 30 or more persons.

Salary: The salary range indicated in this announcement reflects the lowest and highest potential salaries for this position. The actual salary range will be based on the applicable locality pay for the selected duty location. Special Salary pay tables may be found under Salaries & Wages.

E-Verify: DHS uses E-Verify, an Internet-based system, to confirm the eligibility of all newly hired employees to work in the United States. Learn more about E-Verify, including your rights and responsibilities.

Suitability: If you receive a conditional offer of employment for this position, you will be required to complete an Optional Form 306, Declaration for Federal Employment, and to sign and certify the accuracy of all information in your application, prior to entry on duty.

False statements on any part of the application may result in withdrawal of offer of employment, dismissal after beginning work, fine, or imprisonment. Background Investigation: To ensure the accomplishment of our mission, DHS requires every employee to be reliable and trustworthy.

To meet these standards, all selected applicants must undergo and successfully obtain and maintain a background investigation for Secret clearance as a condition of placement into this position.

This may include a credit check, a review of financial issues such as delinquency in the payment of debts, child support and/or tax obligations, as well as certain criminal offenses and illegal use or possession of drugs. Medical Requirements: This position has medical requirements. Click here for information about the medical process.

You must complete a pre-employment medical examination and be found to meet the medical standards for this position.

Polygraph: ICE has designated this position for polygraph testing, which you may be required to submit to as a pre-employment requirement. If referred for polygraph testing, you will be required to travel to a testing location at your own expense.

If you previously had an unsuccessful ICE administered polygraph examination within the last 2-Years, ICE will use those results, which will eliminate you from continuing in the hiring process.