U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) is the largest and primary law enforcement agency of the United States Department of Homeland Security (DHS). Its duty is to protect the nation's border. Its main office is located in Washington, D.C.. It works together with United States Customs and Border Protection, a different part of DHS.

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement
Abbreviation	ICE
ICE is a component of the United States Department of Homeland Security
Motto	"Protecting National Security and Upholding Public Safety"
Agency Overview
Formed	2003, March 1
Preceding agencies	Criminal investigation resources of the United States Immigration and Naturalization Service United States Federal Protective Service Investigative and intelligence resources of the United States Customs Service
Annual Budget	$5 billion (2008)
Legal personality	Governmental agency
Jurisdictional Structure
Federal agency	United States
Constituting instrument	Homeland Security Act of 2002
General nature	Civilian agency Federal law enforcement
Operational Structure
Headquarters	Washington, D.C.
Agency executive	John P. Torres, Acting Assistant Secretary
Parent agency	U.S. Department of Homeland Security

ICE is run by an assistant secretary, who is given the job by the President of the United States, confirmed by the Senate, and reports directly to the Secretary of Homeland Security.

U.S. Immigration And Customs Enforcement Media

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  Flag of the United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement

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  ICE agents armed with assault rifles, wearing identity-concealing balaclavas, on the roof of the Broadview ICE Facility in Illinois watch over a protest against mass deportation during Operation Midway Blitz, September 2025.

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  ICE headquarters building in Washington, D.C., 2009

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  A protest against ICE in Philadelphia, June 2018

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  California National Guard with riot shields at June 2025 Los Angeles protests against ICE and mass deportation.

• Plainclothes ICE agents apprehending Rümeysa Öztürk off the street in Somerville, Massachusetts for an op-ed she co-wrote for The Tufts Daily.

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  People at Federal Plaza in Manhattan protesting against ICE and mass deportation in the second presidency of Donald Trump, September 2025.

• Anti-ICE protest in Manhattan the day after Renée Good was killed, protesters chant "Abolish ICE!"

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  CBP and ICE officers in front of an ICE vehicle in Minneapolis on January 8, 2026

• An ICE agent pepper sprays an already detained persons face on January 21, 2026 during Operation Metro Surge.

• The White House

Other websites

• U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement
• U.S. Customs and Border Protection
• U.S. Department of Homeland Security
• U.S. Immigration And Customs Enforcement Bureau Meeting Notices and Rule Changes Archived 2008-10-14 at the Wayback Machine from The Federal Register
• Federal Law Enforcement Training Center
• ICE detentions and criminal prosecutions of employers hiring illegal employees. Archived 2025-12-14 at the Wayback Machine
• ICE worksite enforcement efforts. Archived 2025-12-14 at the Wayback Machine
• Most recent detentions and statistics from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Archived 2025-12-15 at the Wayback Machine
• RSS Feed Archived 2008-10-14 at the Wayback Machine
• The Real Political Purpose of the ICE Raids from Dollars & Sense magazine

International agencies like ICE

• Australian Customs Service
• RCMP Customs and Excise Branch - Canada Archived 2008-06-16 at the Wayback Machine
• RCMP Immigration and Passport Branch - Canada Archived 2008-06-22 at the Wayback Machine
• Serious Organized Crime Agency - UK Archived 2013-10-05 at the Wayback Machine
• RCMP Integrated Border Enforcement Teams - Canada