Immigration & Customs Enforcement

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 stated 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".

Organization

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement is responsible for eliminating border, economic, transportation, and infrastructure security vulnerabilities.

1. 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.
2. Office of Detention and Removal - DRO is responsible for enforcing 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 aliens in ICE custody. DRO's Deportation Officers prosecute aliens for illegal re-entry after deportation, monitor cases during deportation proceedings, supervise released aliens who are subject to deportation, and removing aliens from the United States. DRO also operates the Fugitive Operations Program (FUGOPS) that locates and apprehends 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 is also responsible for the detention of aliens who are in deportation proceedings and managing ICE and contract detention facilities.
3. Office of 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 - 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.
4. Office of Congressional Relations - OCR acts as the liaison between ICE and Congress.
5. 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.