Pay & Advancement Immigration enforcement agent?

[allamerican]

I just received my tentative offer after 10 months (took the Dec 05 test). I am offered GS-7, but I was pickuped by a local S.O. and am getting Paid $40K a year and $8K a year into the Florida retirement system by them. Can anyone advise what the starting pay is at GS-7 and what is the promotional potential? Also is what is the time frame for promotion, such as 1 year to GS-9 non competitave. I don't mind local L.E. (been doing it for 5years) but I would really like to help with the immigration situation, but I have to see if it is roughly the same pay as my current job.

[jmat1980]

As an IEA in Florida at a GS 7 Step 1 you will be making roughly $36,777 (may be more or less depending on your location in FL or other location within the U.S.)

After 1 year you will advance from a GS 7 Step 1 to a GS 9 step 1. The salary for a GS 9 step 1 is $44,985 (again this is basing your location on S. FL, so your salary in a different location may be higher or lower)

The above salarie(s) do NOT include Administrative Uncontrollable Overtim(AUO). I am not sure exactly what AUO is, but my understanding is that it is just like overtime. AUO IS however calculated into your base salary when computing your retirement pension

As for but I would really like to help with the immigration situation
The U.S. has so many immigration problems and stupid immigration laws that will keep you frustrated and running in circles that you will not feel like you are making any difference. I have heard good and bad things about the IEA job and like any career move, I would research it before making any decisions...

[allamerican]

Thanks Jmat1980. One more question, is it a covered position (I don't recall close to a year since the announcement)? I can't see it being more frustrating then local L.E.

[San Jose BICE]

Allamerican,

The IEA position is a covered position which is 6(c) covered. Meaning you are eligible to retire after twenty years of govt service. In addition to your starting salary, you are eligible for AUO(administrative uncontrollable overtime) which is an extra 25% added on top of your base salary. You basically work ten hours a day in order to get the AUO. In addition you will be on an overseas escort wheel, where u basically escort an alien with a Deportation Officer. On these escorts, any hours past your 8 hours of scheduled duty is 45 act overtime. For pay purposes i would not worry, you will be making more than the base salary with the AUO and overtime.

JT

[manstown]

Do the IEA's and the DO's carry when they are on the overseas trips?

[ArmouredSainT]

Go with the local SO!!! AS IEA, all you will do is chase down illegals. With local LE, you'll investigate minor criminal matters and accidents. If the agency is big enough for special details like narcotics or detectives, you can do more there. Usually local departments will never pay like the federal gov't, but with the federal gov't you'll never feel that you accomplished anything but justified someones job in DC.

[allamerican]

I been working local S.O. for close to 5 years prior to this S.O. I have investigated anything from a simple assault to rape, shooting, stabbings etc. this was in Palm Beach S.O., as they were critically short of detectives and deputies. I would find it much more enjoyable to chase down illegals then to deal with all the BS calls and complaints from citizens that the local S.O. job entails. I took this job because I needed one, the pay was good, and I had not heard anything since I received my results 10 months ago. Since its covered I will continue the process and see what happens. Thanks for all the responses.

[allamerican]

One additional question for those of you who are allready employed By ICE do you have take home vehicles?

[manstown]

Only SA's will get take homes. IEA's don't get take homes. Unless you are on call, but it's not full time.

[INTHEAIRCOP]

If I was you I would stay local. My good friend is with BOCA RATON and he gets 3.5 percent and retires in only 20 years. BSO gets, I think, 3 percent for every year and they retire in 25 years.

Now the bad news! As a covered law enforcement officer in the FEDs: We only get 1.7 percent and retire in 20 years. So I will get a WOPPING 34 percent when I retire. As I said , I would stay with a local if I was you.

[San Jose BICE]

If i were you i would weigh my options. Like the INTHEAIRCOP said our retirement package is not that good. You have to do some savings for retirement with the feds. So if i were you i would weigh your options see what you really want to do. The grass is not always greener on the other side. Like any agency there are good and there are some bad. Members of Fugitive Operations are the only ones with take homes. Fortunately i am issued a take home. If you have any further questions, you can PM me. I have been a part of ice since 2001.

JT

[GB0610]

Go with the local SO!!! AS IEA, all you will do is chase down illegals. in DC.

Actually, many IEA's don't even chase down illegals. They simply go into the jails and interview them. Yes, it depends on your office, but most are doing ACAP work.

Stick with the SO.

PS-No one flies armed overseas, except for air marshals. You only fly armed on domestic flights.

[jmat1980]

We only get 1.7 percent and retire in 20 years. So I will get a WOPPING 34 percent when I retire. As I said , I would stay with a local if I was you.

True we only get 1.7% but dont forget about TSP...for those that dont know the thrift savings plan (TSP) is the governments version of 401K. The Gov will match up to 5% of your contributions (which are taken pre-tax). Your TSP funds are then invested into the market, like 401K. You can chose between several different investment plans from pretty much risk free to high risk...TSP when coupled with your pension can give you a decent retirement if you plan it right...

As for the IEA job...like I said, ive heard good and bad things...one thing for sure is that like many gov jobs, it depends on location. On the SW border your going to primarily be a bus driver, picking up illegals from BP or ICE and transporting them to jails...
At some interior offices you may be doing primarily fugitive ops...talk to someone at the Office where you want to go and find out what their daily routine is...I work for ICE, not an IEA so my knowledge of their day to day ops is very limited...
Good luck

[What?]

every office is different, but there are IEA's that get G rides and have NOTHING to do with on-calls.....again, every office is different

[MidnightHeat]

OK here is the real deal with the IEA job, at least in my office: Your PRIMARY duties are prisoner transport and detention of aliens in ICE custody. The best way to describe IEA is a deputy sheriff for Immigration. You will go to local, state, and Federal correctional facilities and arrest illegal aliens incarcerated about to be released from those facilities, transport them to your office, fingerprint them, photograph them, read them their rights, and advise them of the charges against them. You will escort them to and from Immigration Court, to the airport and put them on flights and/or escort them on the flights back to their countries. You will work very closely with Deportation Officers and Special Agents. The IEA job is very diverse and allows you to travel all over, interact with many different LE agencies. The bad thing about it is it only goes up to GS-9, but good experience toward DO or SA which is higher grade level. I personally would go with the FED position if I were you. You will have jurisdiction anywhere in the US, be able to fly on planes armed and carry your weapon anywhere in the country, plus IEA can be an exciting job at times.

[manstown]

Any officer can carry their weapon anywhere in the country, H.R. 218 draws that out. And for reasons of business is the only time an IEA can carry a weapon onboard a plane. When you go on transports overseas you cannot carry your weapon. I believe the DO is the armed one there. And you only have jurisdiction anywhere in the US when you are working. You just can't go anywhere and arrest someone when you are off duty. There are guidlines to when you should and shouldn't act.

[MidnightHeat]

Any officer can carry their weapon anywhere in the country, H.R. 218 draws that out. And for reasons of business is the only time an IEA can carry a weapon onboard a plane. When you go on transports overseas you cannot carry your weapon. I believe the DO is the armed one there. And you only have jurisdiction anywhere in the US when you are working. You just can't go anywhere and arrest someone when you are off duty. There are guidlines to when you should and shouldn't act.
I dont know where you got your information from but every single thing you stated is false. First, HR 218 allows any LEO to carry their weapon anywhere in the country, however it does not give them law enforcement arrest authority anywhere in the US. If an NYPD cop goes on vacation to Florida and see a crime take place in Florida he can only act as a private citizen, not a LEO because that is all that NYPD officer is while he is in Florida is a regular civilian with authority to carry a firearm. Any action he takes, he will not be defended by his agency because it was not within the scope of his employment. As a FED you have Federal arrest authority ANYWHERE in the US as well as any peace officer status you may have for that particular state as well to enforce state crime.
And as far as IEA's not being able to carry their weapons on planes when they are off duty, I do it all the time and my agency knows that I do it all the time. I go on vacation all the time and I fly armed. We do have 24/7 nationwide arrest authority, carry authority, and authority to fly armed domestically both on and off duty.
As far as only having authority to arrest while on duty. You are totally wrong. IEA's can arrest for Immigration offenses while off duty also. My question that I posted in a seperate thread was whether IEA's can arrest for NON-Immigration federal crimes.

[manstown]

I never said that H.R. 218, gave you arrest authority anywhere in the country. I said that it gives LEOs the authority to carry in the country, so I was correct. I never said that a LEO can arrest outside their jurisdiction, I said in order for them to arrest outside their jurisdiction they would have to be working within the scope of their duties, so I was correct. ANd if they are on vacation and it is an assualt in their presence and they act, which they should, they more then likely they will be defended by their department. And as a FED you have arrest authority anywhere in the US, but YOU HAVE TO BE ON DUTY! A FLEO on vacation can't arrest if the crime wasn't commited in their presence. So NO they can't arrest if they didn't see the crime.

As far as flying armed....maybe I didn't go into it as much. You are correct. A FLEO can carry on flights as long as they've had the "flying while armed course." I was more or less referring to state and local LEO's when I said they had to be on duty.

The only thing that I was unsure of, was whether or not IEA can carry on overseas flights. I didn't believe they could.



As far as IEA's arresting for Immigration violations while off duty, what do IEA's do when they are off duty? Ask people if they have their green card? I guess what I'm asking is what offenses occur that would violate Immigration law that would give an off duty IEA the right to investigate?

And as for your question, I would assume that you could arrest for non-immigration offenses given it's a serious enough crime and you're a FLEO. You can't arrest for a drunk driver, or someone urinating in public. You call the local police and act as witness, but unless it's a serious crime, no you can't arrest.

[MidnightHeat]

As far as IEA's arresting for Immigration violations while off duty, what do IEA's do when they are off duty? Ask people if they have their green card? I guess what I'm asking is what offenses occur that would violate Immigration law that would give an off duty IEA the right to investigate?
Well Immigration is more complex then simply people with expired greencards or no greencards. I don't know what it is like where you live, but here in NYC, there are people selling counterfeit passports and greencards in the middle of Times Square. Also we have the right to question any employer that is suspected of hiring illegals. Also, an illegal alien in possession of a firearm is a Federal felony. Any Immigration Officer has the right to stop and detain any person for which he has reasonable suspicion to believe is present in the US illegaly.

[manstown]

Well said. Is that off duty as well? Can you just walk up to a vendor on your day off and ask for them to show their proof of citizenship?

[MidnightHeat]

Well said. Is that off duty as well? Can you just walk up to a vendor on your day off and ask for them to show their proof of citizenship?
Yes technically I have the same authority both on duty and off duty, we are just discouraged from making arrests while off duty unless absolutely necessary.

[manstown]

That seems to be the norm across the board. Unless it is something serious enough.