U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement: Difference between revisions

'''U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement''' ('''ICE'''; {{IPAc-en|aɪ|s}}) is a [[Federal law enforcement in the United States|federal law enforcement agency]] under the [[United States Department of Homeland Security|U.S. Department of Homeland Security]]. ICE's stated mission is to protect the United States from cross-border crime and illegalundocumented immigration that threaten [[National security of the United States|national security]] and public safety.<ref>{{cite web |title=What We Do |url=https://www.ice.gov/overview |website=U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement |publisher=U.S. Department of Homeland Security |access-date=14 July 2019 |archive-date=June 4, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200604010102/https://www.ice.gov/overview |url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Enforcement and Removal Operations |url=https://www.ice.gov/ero |website=U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement |publisher=U.S. Department of Homeland Security |access-date=14 July 2019}}</ref>

The ICE mission is executed through the enforcement of more than 500 federal statutes and focuses on customs violations, immigration enforcement, preventing terrorism and combating the illegal movement of people and goods.<ref>{{cite web |title=What We Do |url=https://www.ice.gov/overview |publisher=U.S. Immigration and Customs and Enforcement |access-date=July 30, 2018 |archive-date=June 4, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200604010102/https://www.ice.gov/overview |url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Enforcement and Removal Operations |url=https://www.ice.gov/ero#wcm-survey-target-id |publisher=U.S. Immigration and Customs and Enforcement |access-date=April 9, 2019}}</ref> ICE has two primary and distinct law enforcement components, namely, Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) and Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO);, in addition to three supporting divisions: Management & Program Administration, Office of Principal Legal Advisor (OPLA) and Office of Professional Responsibility (OPR).<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.ice.gov/about-ice |publisher=U.S. Immigration and Customs and Enforcement |access-date=24 November 2021|title=Who We Are}}</ref>

Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO), which primarily deals with the deportation and removal of illegalundocumented aliensimmigrants, is among the most public and contentious function of ICE. ERO maintains the custodial facilities used to detain people that are illegally present in the United States. In interior offices, ERO officers primarily conduct targeted enforcement operations to apprehend aliens engaged in serious criminal activity. For example, in fiscal year 2020, 90% of those aliens apprehended by ERO had criminal convictions or pending charges at the time of their administrative arrest. This FY 2020 arrest statistic includes 1,800 homicide related offenses, 1,600 kidnappings, 3,800 robberies, 37,000 assaults, and 10,000 sex crimes.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.ice.gov/features/ERO-2020|access-date=24 November 2021 |publisher=U.S. Immigration and Customs and Enforcement |title=ERO FY 2020 Achievements}}</ref> At border offices, ERO officers receive and detain illegalundocumented aliensimmigrants apprehended by the [[United States Border Patrol]]. IllegalUndocumented aliensimmigrants apprehended at the border have significantly lower levels of criminal history than those arrested by ERO in the interior of the United States.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Gramlich|first=John|title=How border apprehensions, ICE arrests and deportations have changed under Trump|url=https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2020/03/02/how-border-apprehensions-ice-arrests-and-deportations-have-changed-under-trump/|access-date=2021-11-25 |publisher=Pew Research Center|language=en-US}}</ref>

ICE maintains domestic offices throughout the United States and attachés at major [[List of diplomatic missions of the United States|U.S. diplomatic missions overseas]]. ICE personnel (special agents and officers) do not patrol American borders; rather, that role is performed by the Border Patrol.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2018/07/03/us/politics/fact-check-ice-immigration-abolish.html |title=What Is ICE and Why Do Critics Want to Abolish It?|access-date=July 5, 2018|newspaper=The New York Times|date=July 3, 2018|last1=Nixon|first1=Ron|last2=Qiu|first2=Linda}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.factcheck.org/2018/07/calls-to-abolish-ice-not-open-borders/|title=Calls to Abolish ICE Not 'Open Borders' |work=FactCheck.org|publisher=[[Annenberg Public Policy Center]]|date=July 3, 2018|access-date=July 5, 2018}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://thehill.com/blogs/blog-briefing-room/news/394937-ice-chief-to-protesters-were-not-the-ones-separating-families/|title=ICE chief to protesters: We're not the ones separating families |first=Aris|last=Folley|date=June 29, 2018 |access-date=July 5, 2018}}</ref> ERO and HSI operate as two independent law enforcement agencies and have completely separate mission statements. HSI is focused on the disruption of transnational crime, where as ERO is responsible for the apprehension, detention and removal of illegalundocumented aliensimmigrants.<ref>{{Cite web|title=ICE|url=https://www.ice.gov/|access-date=2021-11-25 |publisher=U.S. Immigration and Customs and Enforcement |language=en}}</ref>

The largest cadre of Special Agents are located within Domestic Operations.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Homeland Security Investigations|url=https://www.ice.gov/about-ice/homeland-security-investigations|access-date=2021-11-25|website=www.ice.gov|language=en}}</ref>. In FY 2020, HSI Special Agents made 31,915 criminal arrests, rescued or identified 1,012 child exploitation victims, and seized $341 million worth of counterfeit goods, 6,195 lbs of fentanyl and $1.8 billion in currency & assets from criminal organizations.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.ice.gov/about-ice/homeland-security-investigations |website=HSI Official Site |publisher=ICE HSI |access-date=24 November 2021|title=Homeland Security Investigations}}</ref>

The enforcement of immigration laws was historically supported by both major political parties within the United States.<ref>{{Cite news|title=Democrats Used To Talk About 'Criminal Immigrants,' So What Changed The Party?|language=en|work=NPR.org|url=https://www.npr.org/2019/02/19/694804917/democrats-used-to-talk-about-criminal-immigrants-so-what-changed-the-party|access-date=2021-11-25}}</ref> In 1995, then President Clinton (Democrat) stated the following in his State of the Union address: "All Americans, not only in the states most heavily affected, but in every place in this country, are rightly disturbed by the large numbers of illegalundocumented aliensimmigrants entering our country. The jobs they hold might otherwise be held by citizens or legal immigrants. The public service they use impose burdens on our taxpayers. That's why our administration has moved aggressively to secure our borders more by hiring a record number of new border guards, by deporting twice as many criminal aliens as ever before, by cracking down on illegal hiring, by barring welfare benefits to illegalundocumented aliensimmigrants. In the budget I will present to you we will try to do more to speed the deportation of illegalundocumented aliensimmigrants who are arrested for crimes, to better identify illegalundocumented aliensimmigrants in the workplace as recommended by the commission headed by former Congresswoman Barbara Jordan."<ref>{{Citation|title=Bill Clinton on Illegal Immigration at 1995 State of the Union|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1IrDrBs13oA|language=en|access-date=2021-11-25}}</ref> Similarly in the 1996 State of the Union, then President Clinton (Democrat) stated the following: "But there are some areas that the federal government should not leave and should address and address strongly. One of these areas is the problem of illegal immigration. After years of neglect, this administration has taken a strong stand to stiffen the protection of our borders. We are increasing border controls by 50 percent. We are increasing inspections to prevent the hiring of illegal immigrants. And tonight, I announce I will sign an executive order to deny federal contracts to businesses that hire illegal immigrants. Let me be very clear about this: We are still a nation of immigrants; we should be proud of it. We should honor every legal immigrant here, working hard to become a new citizen. But we are also a nation of laws."<ref>{{Citation|title=The 1996 State of the Union (Address to a Joint Session of the Congress)|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GXRLW1KEtvo|language=en|access-date=2021-11-25}}</ref>

The U.S. Border Patrol apprehended more than 1.3 million illegal crossers in the first eight months of 2021; with a total of 1.6 million apprehensions in Fiscal Year 2021 (highest on record).<ref>{{Cite web|last=Gilliland|first=Donald|date=2021-11-15|title=Situation at the southern border worse that you probably realize|url=https://thehill.com/opinion/immigration/581513-situation-at-the-southern-border-worse-that-you-probably-realize/|access-date=2021-11-25|website=TheHill|language=en}}</ref> This figure does not include a daily count of 1,000+ illegal migrants who successfully evade the Border Patrol. Many of these migrants are now coming from third party countries and filing asylum claims, which have log jammed DOJ administrative courts. Not all migrants come from Mexico alone, many have come from other areas, such as: South America, Eastern Europe, Turkey and India. of those who arrived in the United States, two thirds were adults without children. Inversely, there was a record of 145,000 children that arrived in the United States unaccompanied.<ref>{{Cite journal |title=Immigration Crisis |url=https://library.cqpress.com/cqresearcher/cqr_ht_immigration_2021 |access-date=2022-12-16 |journal=CQ Researcher |date=December 14, 2021 |language=en|last1=Ladika |first1=Susan }}</ref> For example, in FY 2014 there were 56,912 asylum claims, which jumped to 142,760 in FY 2017 and are now even higher.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Griffith|first=Bryan|date=2018-11-10|title=Asylum, Removal and Immigration Courts|url=https://cis.org/Fact-Sheet/Asylum-Removal-and-Immigration-Courts|access-date=2021-11-25|website=CIS.org|language=English}}</ref> Most undocumented immigrants are released into the United States after processing and ordered to report for a future court date. According to the American Immigration Council, 83% of nondetained immigrants with completed or pending removal cases attended all of their hearings and 96% of nondetained immigrants represented by a lawyer attended all of their hearings.<ref>{{Cite journal |title= 11 Years of Government Data Reveal That Immigrants Do Show Up for Court |url= https://www.americanimmigrationcouncil.org/news/11-years-government-data-reveal-immigrants-do-show-court |access-date=2021-01-28 |journal= American Immigration Council |date=January 28, 2021 |language=en|last1=Frausto |first1= Maria }}</ref> This has been colloquially referred to by U.S. Conservatives as the [[Mexico–United States border crisis|Border Crisis]], thisand it has become a significant problem to solve for presidential administrations.{{citation needed|date=January 2022}}