U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), established in 2003, is the largest investigative arm of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), with a mission to protect the American people from the illegal introduction of goods and the entry of terrorists and other criminals seeking to cross our Nation’s borders. ICE fulfills this mission by identifying criminal activities and eliminating vulnerabilities that pose a threat to our nation’s borders, as well as enforcing economic and infrastructure security.
Salaries and Expenses
Headquarters Management & Administration (HQ M&A)
The Offices of the Assistant Secretary (OAS), the Chief Financial Officer (OCFO), the Office of Acquisition Management (OAQ), the Office of Professional Responsibility (OPR), and the Chief Information Officer (OCIO) perform the management and administration activities for ICE. These activities include executive and overall leadership direction, strategic planning, policy development, employee misconduct investigations, and administrative support for the human, budgetary, financial, information, and physical resources to facilitate the operational capabilities of a productive ICE workforce.
- CFO/OAS/OAQ: $109,573
- OPR: $59,314
- Information Technology: $146,654
- Total HQ M&A $315,541 (in thousands)
Legal Proceedings
The Office of the Principal Legal Advisor (OPLA) provides the legal advice, training, and services required to support the ICE mission. As the legal representative for the U.S. Government at immigration court hearings, OPLA attorneys handle a variety of immigration-related issues that range from contested removals to custody determinations to applications for administrative relief. Additionally, OPLA provides legal advice in customs-related enforcement actions, represents the Government in Merit System Protection Board and Equal Employment Opportunity hearings, provides ethics advice, and handles matters involving commercial and administrative law.
- Legal Proceedings: $208,350
Investigations
The Office of Investigations (OI) enforces trade and immigration laws through the investigation of activities, persons, and events that may pose a threat to the safety or security of the United States and its people. OI also investigates illegal trafficking in weapons (including weapons of mass destruction), human smuggling and trafficking, narcotics and other smuggling, money laundering and other financial crimes, fraudulent trade practices, identity and benefit fraud, child pornography, child sex tourism, and health and public safety dangers.
- Investigations: $1,422,528
International Affairs - The Office of International Affairs enhances and promotes the ICE mission of protecting the United States by using an international, multi- faceted, law enforcement approach and partnering with foreign and domestic counterparts to combat criminal and terrorist activities.
- International Affairs: $107,551
Intelligence
The Office of Intelligence is responsible for the collection, analysis, and dissemination of strategic and tactical intelligence data in support of ICE and DHS.
- Intelligence: $52,146
Detention and Removal Operations - The Office of Detention and Removal Operations is tasked with ensuring that every noncitizen who has been ordered removed departs the United States through fair enforcement of the Nation’s immigration laws and coordination with foreign governments to ensure countries will accept removable noncitizens.
- Custody Operations: $1,647,212
- Fugitive Operations: $218,945
- Criminal Alien Program: $178,829
- Alternatives to Detention: $53,889
- Transportation and Removal Program: $282,526
- Total Detention and Removal Operations: $2,381,401
- Comprehensive ID & Removal of Criminal Noncitizen
Funding was provided to be used over two years to improve and modernize efforts to identify criminal noncitizens and remove them from the United States. - Identification and Removal of Criminal Noncitizen: $200,000
Total Salaries and Expenses: $4,687,517
Automation
The Automation Modernization program allows ICE to improve information sharing with DHS and across ICE organizations, strengthen information availability, improve detainee tracking and preparation of travel documents, provide a fully secure IT environment, and enhance financial management and audit practices. The resources are available until expended.
- Automation: $30,700
Construction
The Construction Program provides housing, processing, medical, administrative, and support facilities needed to assist and meet the needs of Detention and Removal activities.
- Construction: $16,500
Federal Protective Service (FPS)
FPS is responsible for ensuring a safe environment in which Federal agencies can conduct business by reducing threats posed against approximately 9,000 federal government facilities nationwide.
- FPS: $613,000
- Immigration Inspection User Fees: $113,500
- Breached Bond Detention Fund: $63,800
- Student and Exchange Visitor Program: $56,200
Total, ICE: $5,581,217
FY 2008 Initiatives
ICE’s FY 2008 Budget will allow ICE to capitalize on the impressive FY 2007 successes in worksite gang, fraud, and other investigative areas leading to record numbers of arrests and convictions, as well as a record number of removals of illegal noncitizens from the United States and financial management successes.
The FY 2008 enacted budget includes new funding for interior enforcement activities, management and IT improvements, 32,000 detention beds, fugitive operations and the Criminal Alien Program.
The following highlights the key initiatives funded in FY 2008:
- Detention Bed Space…………………………………………………………$250.4M
Funding will provide 4,150 additional detention beds, personnel, and removal costs to support the increase in interior enforcement efforts and the continuation of the policy of “catch and return” instead of “catch and release”. (350 additional beds are funded within the State and local enhancement.) - Criminal Alien Program (CAP)………………………………………………$39.2M
The increase provides for the deployment of additional CAP teams. Through CAP, ICE identifies and removes incarcerated criminal noncitizens encountered in Federal, State, and local facilities.
Fugitive Operations…………………………………………………………...$32.8M
The increase will increase the number of Fugitive Operations Teams from 75 to 104. Fugitive Operations Teams locate and apprehend fugitive noncitizens in the United States. - Alternatives to Detention…………………………………………………..…$10.0M
The Alternatives to Detention program places low-risk noncitizens under various forms of intensive supervision rather than traditional detention as a cost-effective way to ensure their appearance for an immigration hearing or for removal. Funding has been provided to support deployment of the program to 12 cities. - State and Local Law Enforcement Support…………………………………$26.4M
Section 287(g) of the Immigration and Nationality Act authorizes the Secretary of Homeland Security to delegate authority to enforce Federal immigration laws to State and local law enforcement officers (LEOs). This funding will allow 250 State and local LEOs to be trained, 350 detention beds, and necessary information technology for participating
State and local agencies. - Information Technology Investments………………………….……………$30.7M
This increase will fund: Detention and Removal Operations Information Technology modernization, mobile IDENT/ENFORCE devices, an Immigration Enforcement Systems upgrade, and other critical IT improvements. - Removal Management Operations……………………..……………………$10.8M
The funding will provide for enhanced Centralized Ticketing Operations and additional air transportation support, including the use of the Justice Prisoner and Alien Transportation System (JPATS) and leasing of aircrafts for noncitizen removals. - Border Enforcement Security Task Forces (BEST)...………………………$10.7M
BEST Task Forces identify and prioritize emerging and existing threats to border security. The Task Forces will coordinate a unified response that leverages federal, state, local, tribal and foreign law enforcement and intelligence entities to disrupt and dismantle cross-border criminal organizations to improve border security. The funding will be used for the existing BEST Task Force in Laredo, Texas, and to establish six additional task forces. - Improved Integrity Oversight…………………………………………………$8.0M
The increase will be used to fund increased staff within the Office of Professional Responsibility to conduct criminal and serious misconduct investigations involving the activities of ICE and CBP employees deployed domestically and overseas. Timely attention to allegations of misconduct is critical to workforce integrity. Funding was also provided for compliance audits for contract detention facilities. - Gang Enforcement……………………………………………………..……$20.4M
Criminal noncitizens pose a significant threat to public safety. ICE will use the additional resources to enhance its anti- gang initiative and increase the number of transnational gang members that are identified, arrested, and removed from the United States. - ICE Mutual Agreement between Government & Employers (IMAGE)…$5.0 M
Through IMAGE, ICE will work with private employers to improve worksite enforcement. IMAGE will result in the reduced hiring of unauthorized workers as companies develop strong business practices. - Bulk Cash Smuggling Center (BCSC)………………………………………$2.1M
The requested funding will support the hiring of 11 new personnel, equipment, and training for ICE investigators, State and local law enforcement officers, and Assistant U.S. Attorneys to support the BCSC. - Trade Transparency Unit (TTU)……………………………………………$1.8M
These resources will expand the capacity and capabilities of the TTU program to build partnerships with foreign governments and undertake coordinated investigations with foreign law enforcement counterparts to combat trade-based money laundering. - Document Benefit Fraud Task Forces……………………….…………….$10.8M
Resources will be used to staff Document and Benefit Fraud Task forces in OI Special Agent in Charge offices. Fully staffing these task forces will increase ICE’s ability to combat worksite vulnerabilities by which illegal noncitizens, possibly including terrorist and other persons who pose a risk to public safety, gain entry into the United States and remain here under a guise of legitimacy. - Visa Waiver Program (VWP) Enforcement ……………………….……..$9.0M
Resources will fund additional positions within OI devoted to visa stay violators. With this staffing increase, OI’s Compliance Enforcement Unit can increase investigations of those who violate their status under the Visa Waiver Program. - Worksite Enforcement …………………….……………………….………$15.0M
Resources will fund additional positions within OI devoted to worksite enforcement efforts. With this staffing increase, OI will increase investigations of employers that attract significant numbers of illegal and undocumented workers. Expanding our enforcement of immigration laws at worksites is another key element of any comprehensive border enforcement and control strategy. - ICE Management Training ………………………..………………………..$1.8M
These funds will provide for the implementation of an ICE-wide training program for new and career supervisors in core management areas such as finance, procurement, labor relations, and civil rights. - Vehicle Replacement………………………………………….……………..$4.0M
ICE will purchase new vehicles for critical ICE personnel. The funding will allow more vehicles to be replaced on the cycle required by the Federal Property Management regulations. Funding for the vehicle replacements will provide employees with safer and more reliable vehicles, replacing older vehicles and inoperable fleet vehicles. - Office of Policy and Planning……………………………………………….$1.5M
Resources will be used to establish an Office of Policy and Planning within Detention and Removal Operations (DRO). This office will identify existing policy across DRO programs, assess existing policy for suitability given the tremendous growth in detention, ensure adherence to all established detention standards, and develop and modify DRO policy in conjunction with OI and ICE policy. - Human Rights Law Division……………………………………………..…$0.5M
The funding will allow ICE’s Office of the Principal Legal Advisor to expand its Human Rights Law Division. - Construction……………………………………..………………………….$10.5M
The increase will provide additional funding for necessary repairs and alterations of ICE- owned detention facilities. - Comprehensive ID & Removal of Noncitizens………………….……………..$200.0M
These resources will fund improvement and modernization efforts of DRO to identify noncitizens convicted of a crime, sentences to imprisonment, and who may be deportable, and remove them from the United States once they are judged deportable. ICE is working on a plan that will modernize the policies and technologies used to identify criminal noncitizens.