United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement

United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) is a federal law enforcement agency under the United States Department of Homeland Security. Its stated mission is to conduct criminal investigations, enforce immigration laws, preserve national security, and protect public safety. ICE was created as part of the Homeland Security Act of 2002 following the September 11 attacks. It absorbed the prior functions of the Immigration and Naturalization Service and the United States Customs Service.

ICE has two primary and distinct law enforcement components: Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) and Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO). It has three supporting divisions: the Management and Program Administration, the Office of the Principal Legal Advisor (OPLA), and the Office of Professional Responsibility (OPR). ICE maintains domestic offices throughout the United States and detachments at major U.S. diplomatic missions overseas. ICE personnel (special agents and officers) do not patrol American borders; rather, that role is performed by U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and the U.S. Coast Guard. The acting director is David Venturella; the agency has not had a Senate-confirmed director since Sarah Saldaña stepped down on January 20, 2017.

ICE has been involved in multiple controversies and has been the subject of increased protests and criticism during the first and second presidencies of Donald Trump, particularly in 2018 and in 2025, with some activists calling for its abolition. Following the passage of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act in 2025, ICE became the largest and most well-funded U.S. federal law enforcement agency. Its enforcement actions, publicity campaigns, and tactics have generated public controversy and raised concerns over legality, accountability, and civil rights. Federal judges have overwhelmingly ruled against and criticized the agency's detention policies in court cases, and ICE has repeatedly disobeyed court orders. Following Operation Metro Surge in January 2026, during which federal agents killed civilians Renée Good and Alex Pretti, the agency has faced widespread criticism and been described by critics as an increasingly militarized police force, secret police, and paramilitary.