U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement

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**Immigration and Customs Enforcement**

Established:	March 01, 2003
Department:	Homeland Security
Assistant Secretary:	Julie L. Myers
Budget:	$7.8 Billion (2007)

Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) is the largest investigative arm of the United States Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and is responsible for identifying and dismantling vulnerabilities regarding the nation's border, economic, transportation and infrastructure security. ICE is charged with the enforcement of over 400 federal statutes within the United States and maintains attaches at major U.S. embassies overseas. As such, ICE Special Agents arguably possess the broadest investigative authority within the United States Government.

The mission of ICE is to protect America and uphold public safety by targeting the people, money and materials that support terrorist and criminal activities. The motto of ICE is "Integrity, Courage, and Excellence".

ICE is led by an Assistant Secretary who is appointed at the sub-cabinet level by the President of the United States and confirmed by the U.S. Senate. Consequently, the Assistant Secretary reports directly to the Secretary of Homeland Security.

1 History
2 Organization
3 Hiring Process
4 Training
5 ICE and Immigration Law
6 Criticism
7 Trivia
8 See also
9 Related Sources
10 External links
11 International Agencies Comparable to ICE

[edit] History

ICE Special Agents seizing narcotics during an arrest

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement was formed pursuant to the Homeland Security Act of 2002 following the events of September 11, 2001. With the establishment of the Department of Homeland Security the functions and jurisdictions of several border and revenue enforcement agencies were combined and reconstituted into Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Consequently, ICE is the largest investigative arm of DHS, and the second largest contributor to the nation's Joint Terrorism Task Force.

The agencies that were either moved entirely or merged in part, based upon their law enforcement functions, included the investigative and intelligence resources of the United States Customs Service, the law enforcement resources of the Immigration and Naturalization Service, and the United States Federal Protective Service. Consequently, ICE is also charged with the protection of federal buildings within the United States.

[edit] Organization

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement is responsible for eliminating border, economic, transportation, and infrastructure security vulnerabilities. As such, the ICE organization is composed of four law enforcement divisions and several support divisions. These divisions of ICE combine to form a new investigative approach with new resources to provide unparalleled investigation, interdiction, and security services to the public and other law enforcement partners in the federal and local sectors.

Office of Investigations - OI uses its broad legal authorities to protect the United States. OI does this by investigating and combating a range of issues that threaten national security such as strategic crimes, human rights violations, human smuggling; narcotics, weapons and other types of smuggling (to include weapons of mass destruction), immigration crimes, financial crimes, terrorism, cybercrimes and import/export enforcement issues. ICE Special Agents also conduct investigations aimed at protecting critical infrastructure industries that are vulnerable to sabotage, attack or exploitation. Additionally, ICE Special Agents may be called upon to perform the duties of a Federal Air Marshal, or Secret Service agent.

Office of Intelligence - Intelligence Research Specialists are responsible for the collection, analysis and dissemination of strategic and tactical intelligence data for use by the operational elements of ICE and DHS.

Office of Detention and Removal - DRO is responsible for public safety and national security by enforcing the nation's immigration laws and ensuring the departure from the United States of all removable aliens. DRO's Immigration Enforcement Agents (IEAs) are the uniformed presence of immigration enforcement within the interior of the United States. Through the Alien Criminal Apprehension Program (ACAP), IEAs apprehend and remove criminal aliens found in jails and prisons. IEAs also are responsible for the transportation and detention of alien's in ICE custody. DROs Deportation Officers prosecute aliens for illegal re-entry after deportation, monitor cases during deportation proceedings, supervise released alien's who are subject to deportation and removing aliens from the United States. DRO also operates the Fugitive Operations Program (FUGOPS) that locates and apprhends aliens that are still in the United States with an outstanding Warrant of Deportation. DRO custody management consists of a partnership with the U.S. Marshals Service in operating JPATS, the Justice Prisoner and Alien Transportation System, otherwise known as Con-Air to remove criminal aliens from the United States. DRO also responsible for the detentiion of aliens who are in deportation proceedings and managing ICE and contract detention facilities.

Office of the Federal Protective Service - responsible for policing, securing and ensuring a safe environment in which federal agencies can conduct their business by reducing threats posed against the more than 8,800 federal government facilities nationwide. FPS employs over 2000 police officers and over 15000 contract security guards to perform their mission.

Office of the Principal Legal Advisor - The Office of Principal Legal Advisor (OPLA) provides legal advice, training and services to support the ICE mission and defends the interests of the United States in the administrative and federal courts.

Office of Congressional Relations - The Office of Congressional Relations (OCR) represents ICE’s core values and Department of Homeland Security objectives through federal Congressional liaison activities.

Office of Professional Responsibility - The Office of Professional Responsibility (OPR) is responsible for investigating allegations of misconduct involving employees of ICE and Customs and Border Protection (CBP). OPR preserves the organizational integrity of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement by impartially, independently and thoroughly investigating allegations of criminal or serious administrative misconduct by ICE and CBP employees worldwide. Additionally, OPR inspects and reviews ICE offices, operations and processes so as to provide executive management with independent reviews of the agency's organizational health. In this role, OPR assesses the effectiveness and efficiency of ICE in carrying out its mission.

[edit] Hiring Process

The broad law enforcement mission and authorities of ICE carries unusual trust and responsibility, therefore, the process of becoming an ICE employee is arduous and competitive. Applicants may expect to undergo a battery of mental, intellectual, and physical tests, as well as interviews, medical screenings, and an extensive background investigation. Information about joining ICE is available through local ICE offices or on the ICE website.

[edit] Training

Newly hired ICE Special Agents, Deportation Officers, Immigration Enforcement Agents, and Federal Protective Service Police Officers undergo initial training at the ICE Academy on the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center in Glynco, Georgia. Combining academic instruction and practical exercises, the ICE Academy varies in length from 18 to 24 weeks depending on the position. After graduation, new ICE Special Agents and law enforcement officers undergo additional post academy training, as well as career-continuous training, and are assigned to an ICE office anywhere in the nation as well as around the world. Professional support staff are also assigned to of one of the many ICE offices. However, any Agent, Officer, or Support staff member may be transferred to any location for any length of time at the needs of ICE.

[edit] ICE and Immigration Law

Immigration and Nationality Act Section 287(g), as passed by Congress, is designed to effectively multiply ICEs forces through enhanced cooperation and communication with state, and local law enforcement agencies. Section 287(g) authorizes the Secretary of Homeland Security to enter into agreements with state and local law enforcement agencies, permitting designated officers to perform immigration law enforcement functions, pursuant to a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA), provided that the local law enforcement officers receive appropriate training and function under the supervision of sworn U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers. Under 287(g), ICE provides state and local law enforcement with the training and subsequent authorization to identify, process, and when appropriate, detain immigration offenders they encounter during their regular, daily law-enforcement activity.

"The days of ignoring immigration law are over," Marc Raimondi, A U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement spokesman, said. "A failure to comply is not an option. The person ordered to be removed needs to comply with that order or we'll assist them with compliance. To think of people illegally in the country who have been convicted of crimes are walking around is outrageous." [1]

Julie Myers, the assistant secretary for the Department of Homeland Security told a press conference. "America's welcome does not extend to immigrants who come here to commit crimes." [2]

[edit] Criticism

ICE, along with its sister agency Customs and Border Protection (CBP), performs related functions regarding the enforcement of federal law relating to the U.S. border. Some in Congress, as well as members of the public, believe that these two agencies should be merged. Some of the cases ICE investigates originate from a referral from CBP. These cases include the smuggling of narcotics, goods, weapons, and humans into the United States. CBP maintains U.S. ports of entry, which are targets for smugglers to illegally pass their illicit goods into the United States. There are those who feel the combined infrastructures of ICE and CBP should be merged into one agency with the border inspectors, deportation officers, and Special Agents working hand in hand to combat crime.

Additionally, ICE operates detention centers throughout the United States that detain illegal immigrants who are apprehended and placed into removal proceedings. Kellogg, Brown and Root (KBR), the engineering and construction subsidiary of Halliburton Corporation, released a press statement on January 24, 2006 that the company had been awarded a no-bid contingency contract from the Department of Homeland Security to support its Immigration and Customs Enforcement facilities in the event of an emergency. The maximum total value of the contract is $385 million and consists of a 1-year base period with four 1-year options. KBR held the previous ICE contract from 2000 through 2005. The contract provides for establishing temporary detention and processing capabilities to expand existing ICE Detention and Removal Operations Program facilities in the event of an emergency influx of immigrants into the U.S., or to support the rapid development of new programs. The contract may also provide migrant detention support to other government organizations in the event of an immigration emergency, as well as the development of a plan to react to a national emergency, such as a natural disaster, the company said.

[edit] Trivia

An Air and Marine Operations (AMO) Blackhawk supporting an ICE operation

ICE agents and officers carry the Sig Sauer P229 pistol with the DAK trigger and chambered in .40 caliber. They also may also be assigned the Remington Model 870 shotgun or the Steyr Aug submachine gun. Agents and officers assigned to a Special Response Team are assigned both the Colt M-4 carbine and the Heckler & Koch MP5 submachine gun.
ICE operates the only nation-wide radio communication system in the federal law enforcement community. This system, known as SECTOR, is Motorola-based and employs a technology specifically designed for ICE known as COTHEN (Customs Over The Horizon Network). Consequently ICE agents, officers, and other authorized subscribersare are able to communicate with one another through SECTOR channels.
ICE has the broadest investigative authority of all the federal law enforcement agencies in the United States government. ICE is responsible for enforcing over 400 federal criminal statutes, as well as numerous administrative provisions of the U.S. Code of Federal Regulations.
ICE is the largest, and therefore de-facto, investigative agency in the Department of Homeland Security.
Select ICE agents are cross-trained and certified to perform, in times of need, Secret Service protective details assisting with guarding the President, Vice-President, or major candidates and their families. Furthermore, select ICE agents are also cross-trained to perform and, in times of need, fly Federal Air Marshal missions.