Immigration and Customs Enforcement – ICE

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) is the largest investigative agency in the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS).

The agency’s primary mission is to protect national security, public safety and the integrity of the U.S. borders through the criminal and civil enforcement of federal laws governing border control, customs, trade and immigration.

The agency’s law enforcement authorities encompass more than 400 U.S. federal statutes that it is responsible for enforcing in its commitment to ensuring national security and public safety.

Client Reviews

Immigration and Customs Enforcement is divided into the following subtopics:

• General Information
• Office of the Principal Legal Advisor OPLA
• Detention & Removal
• IMAGE
• Office of Investigations
• Secure Communities
• Students/Exchange Visitors
• Office of State and Local Coordination (OSLC)

General Information – Immigration and Customs Enforcement

• Web Site – Immigration and Customs Enforcement
• News Releases
• Office of the Principal Legal Advisor Chief Counsel Office Contact List
• ICE releases FY 2022 Annual Report (12-30-22)
• Private Immigration Relief Legislation—Introduced and Enacted—110th – 117th Congress (2007 – Present)
• Immigration officials created network that can spy on majority of Americans, report says (5-10-22)
• Guidance to OPLA Attorneys Regarding the Enforcement of Civil Immigration Laws and the Exercise of Prosecutorial Discretion – Doyle Memo (4-3-22)
• Guidelines for the Enforcement of Civil Immigration Law (9-30-21)
• Government announces new online scheduling tool for noncitizen check-in appointments (9-2-21)
• Who Is Ed Gonzalez? Biden’s ICE Nominee (7-15-21)
• DHS Announces Rescission of Civil Penalties for Failure-to-Depart (4-23-21)
• A Rare Look Inside Trump’s Immigration Crackdown Draws Legal Threats (July 2020)
• How Trump Radicalized Immigration and Customs Enforcement (September 2018)
• Director John Morton Stepping Down in July (6-18-13)
• FOIA Backlog Shows Ballooning Wait Times (5-30-13)
• Abruptly Ending Controversial 287(g) Police Program (12-24-12)
• President Obama Names New Chief (2-23-09)
• Assistant Secretary Myers signs historical MOU with Vietnam (January 2008)
• Immigration and Customs Enforcement Organization Chart (January 2006)

Office of the Principal Legal Advisor (OPLA)

• Office of the Principal Legal Advisor (OPLA)
• OPLA Field Offices
• Tool Kit for Prosecutors

Detention & Removal

• Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO)
• How to Seek Prosecutorial Discretion
• Alternatives to Detention
• Alternatives to Detention Frequently Asked Questions
• Online Detainee Locator System
• Immigration Detention Facilities
• Office of Detention and Removal Operations Offices
• Detention Management Program
• Interior Enforcement
• Fugitive Operations Program
• Government’s own experts found ‘barbaric’ and ‘negligent’ conditions in ICE detention (8-16-23)
• FY 2013 Immigration Removals
• Deportation Breaks Another Record in 2012 (12-24-12)
• Detainee Deaths 2003-Present (10-31-11)
• FAQs on the Administration’s Announcement to Further Focus Immigration Enforcement on High Priority Cases (8-31-11)
• Morton Memo on Prosecutorial Discretion (6-17-11)
• 2019 Detention Standards

Mutual Agreement Between Government & Employers (IMAGE)

• IMAGE

Office of Investigations

• Human Trafficking
• National Security
• Fact Sheet: Worksite Enforcement (8-09-07)

Secure Communities

According to Immigration and Customs Enforcement:

“U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement 287(g) Program enhances the safety and security of communities by creating partnerships with state and local law enforcement agencies to identify and remove aliens who are amenable to removal from the United States.”

The Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act of 1996 added Section 287(g), to the Immigration and Nationality Act. This section of law authorizes the Director to enter into agreements with state and local law enforcement agencies, that permit designated officers to perform limited immigration law enforcement functions. Agreements under section 287(g) require the local law enforcement officers to receive appropriate training and to function under the supervision of agency officers.

The 287(g) Program continues to receive overwhelmingly positive feedback from its partners. The mutually beneficial agreements allow state and local officers to act as a force multiplier in the identification, arrest, and service of warrants and detainers of incarcerated foreign-born individuals with criminal charges or convictions. Those deemed amenable to removal are identified while still secure in state or local custody, potentially reducing the time the alien spends in custody. The state and local partners benefit by reducing the number of criminal offenders that are released back into the community without being screened for immigration violations.

Gang members, sex offenders, and murderers are often identified and taken into custody after serving their criminal sentences, thus being removed from the community. The efficiency and safety of the program allows the agency to actively engage criminal alien offenders while incarcerated in a secure and controlled environment as opposed to the alternative of conducting at-large arrests which can pose safety concerns for the officers and the community and may result in collateral arrests. Federal, state and local officers working together provide a tremendous benefit to public safety through increased law enforcement communication and overall community policing effectiveness.”

• Secure Communities
• Secure Communities Training
• Policy Paper on Secure Communities Recommendations (4-27-12)

Students/Exchange Visitors

• DHS STEM Designated Degree Program List (Updated 7-12-23)
• DMV Fact Sheet
• SEVIS Fact Sheets

Office of State, Local, and Tribal Coordination (OSLTC)

• ACCESS Programs

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