United States Immigration And Customs Enforcement

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United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE ; ) is a federal law enforcement agency under the supervision of 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. Growing under the second Donald Trump administration, ICE has been accused of numerous civil rights abuses and becoming a tool of intimidation. The agency's "sweeping immigration raids" are part of a crackdown against immigration under the second Trump administration.

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), in addition to 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 and U.S. Coast Guard. The acting director is Todd Lyons; 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 over its existence, with significant increases in criticism during the first and especially the second administration of Donald Trump. Following the passage of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act in 2025, ICE became the largest and most well-funded federal law enforcement agency in U.S. history. Its aggressive enforcement actions, controversial publicity campaigns, and militarization resulted in significant drops of public support and raised concerns over a lack of accountability and civil rights violations. ICE agents are noted for wearing masks to protect their identity and using unmarked vehicles. The agency has been the subject of widespread protests particularly in 2018 and 2025, with some activists calling for its abolition.