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ICE - An Overview
As a result of the events of September 11, 2001, the Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS) was disbanded in a barrage of political criticism. The Patriot Act paved the way for a replacement agency more able to deal with the threat of terrorism: the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). The DHS is comprised of three sub-agencies: the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), and the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP).
ICE is the DHS’s enforcement arm, replacing the Federal Protective Service, U.S. Customs Investigators, and the Federal Air Marshal Service. Thus, ICE could be thought of as the “immigration police,” investigating such crimes as: human trafficking, drug smuggling, gun smuggling, money laundering, passport fraud, child pornography, bomb threats, and more.
ICE employs over 15,000 people with backgrounds in the military, law enforcement, law, government, and management. ICE headquarters is in Washington, D.C, and has satellite offices in all major U.S. cities and some international cities.
ICE is composed of various divisions. The Office of Detention and Removal Operations (DRO) detains illegal aliens and deports them. The Office of Federal Protective Service (FPS) is the security guard for all federal buildings and facilities. The Office of Intelligence is the “FBI” arm for ICE, collecting and analyzing immigration violations and connected crimes. The Office of Congressional Relations (OCR) presents ICE strategic objectives, programs, and operations to Congress. Other divisions include the Office of Investigations (OI) and the Office of International Affairs (OIA)
ICE offers a number of immigration services. Chief among them is the Student and Exchange Visitor Information System (SEVIS), a computerized tracking system collecting and maintaining personal information of international students attending U.S. schools and colleges. Designated school officials (DSOs) are responsible for inputting student information into SEVIS, and students are responsible for updating any changed information through their DSO.
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