U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement is an American federal law enforcement agency under the United States Department of Homeland Security, responsible for identifying, investigating, and dismantling vulnerabilities regarding the nation's border, economic, transportation, and infrastructure security. ICE has two primary components: Homeland Security Investigations and Enforcement and Removal Operations. Headquartered in Washington, D.C., ICE is charged with the investigation and enforcement of over 400 federal statutes within the United States, and maintains attachés at major U.S. embassies overseas.
ICE is led by a Director, who is appointed at the sub-Cabinet level by the President of the United States, confirmed by the Senate, and reports directly to the Secretary of Homeland Security. ICE is the second largest criminal investigative agency in the U.S. government, following the FBI.
|