Deportation officers monitor and detain non-citizens who have been ordered to leave a country, working closely with immigration and customs officials and lawyers. The job requires physical fitness, self-defense skills, and may involve travel and extended periods away from home. Educational requirements vary, but citizenship in the country of operation is generally required.
The primary professional responsibilities of a deportation officer are to detain and monitor non-citizens who have been ordered to leave a country. Deportation officers typically oversee the proceedings from the time a deportation order is issued until the noncitizen actually leaves the country. Assignments may also include monitoring legal or illegal immigrants or other visitors to a country.
The actual titles for this position differ in various countries, with the role of deportation officer being covered by immigration officers, detention officers or other law enforcement officials. Typically, the deportation officer works at the immigration office. This position may also be associated with the Department of Justice or other government units that enforce laws regulating immigration and nationality matters.
Deportation officers usually work closely with other immigration and customs officials, as well as lawyers for the government and the person being deported. They often help identify, locate, and apprehend non-cooperative aliens. Officers often help prepare and present information used in deportation proceedings at immigration and exclusion hearings. They often consult contacts at foreign consulates and embassies to ensure passports and other travel documents are issued for the deported person’s return to their home country or other location. On occasion, officials may also be required to escort the person out of the country to secure removal in accordance with the requirements of the deportation order.
A great deal of travel can be required for a deportation officer. During the course of their work, the officer may be away from home for extended periods of time, both in locating deportees and during legal proceedings. Frequent visits to prisons and other detention facilities may also be required.
The job of a deportation officer can involve a certain amount of risk. Officers generally must be physically fit and able to handle considerable strenuous efforts to apprehend, subdue and move uncooperative persons. Attacks against deportation officers may occur without warning while in the exercise of their duties; therefore, self-defense skills and training in the use of deadly force are required. It is not uncommon for officers to have prior law enforcement or military experience.
Educational requirements for this job vary. Some positions require a college degree, while others require several years of experience in a related field of work. Deportation officers are generally trained in the immigration laws and procedural law of the jurisdiction in which they operate. Most also have at least some police training and can be fluent in two or more languages. Citizenship in the country of operation is generally required.
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