Homeland Security

The Department of Homeland Security was established on March 1, 2003.  On the same day the Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS) was abolished.  The various compenents of the INS were split into three agencies in Homeland Security.  They are: Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), Customs and Border Protection (CBP), and U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS).



ICE:  Combined former Immigration Investigations, Immigration Deportation unit, and former Customs Investigations.  ICE is now divided into two divisions, whose names have changed in the past few years and may change again.  The two divisions are Homeland Security Investions (HSI), and Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO).

•    HSI:  The ICE agency that investigates violations of immigration and customs laws away from the border.  HSI conducts criminal investigations of fraud, smuggling, etc. relating to immigration, and also investigates violations of customs laws.
•    ERO:  The component of ICE which deals with the deportatiuon of aliens.  ERO handles the custody of arrested aliens and controls the files of deportable aliens who are released from custody.  ERO sends agents to look for aliens who failed to leave the country or who failed to report for a scheduled deportation hearing.  This unit is often referred to as "deportation."

CBP:  The agency that guards our borders: land, sea, and air.  CBP agents are stationed at places where people enter the United States from foreign countries.  The Border Patrol is also part of CBP and prevents the entry of aliens between the legal inspection stations, which are called Ports of Entry.

• CBP Inspectors: They inspect U.S. citizens and aliens entering the United States at land, sea, or air Ports of Entry.  In the 1970s there were inspectors from four different federal agencies working side by side inspecting people entering the U.S.  These agencies were: Customs, INS, Agriculture, and Public Health.  In 2003 the inspectors from the INS and Customs were merged into one agency with a dual purpose.  They still enforce both immigration and customs laws, but they now have one line of supervision.  CBP has some duties related to immigration benefits.  Aliens arriving with visas are inspected and decisions are made at the time of entry.  However, CBP plays no part in determining whether or not visas are issued.
• Border Patrol: The Border Patrol remained virtually unchanged by the transfer to Homeland Security.  They still patrol our northern and southern borders between the Ports of Entry.  They are also stationed in a few other locations, such as New Orleans and Miami.  Due to a change in arrest laws, the Border Patrol no longer has agents stationed in Central California.

USCIS:  The agency that makes decisions regarding immigration benefits.  USCIS controls immigration files, but loans these files to ICE and CBP when old or new files are needed.  The benefits administered by USCIS include naturalization, legal residence, asylum claims, requests for extension of temporary visits, and petitions and applications for both permanent and temporary visas.  When fraud is suspected, the case is often referred to ICE for an investigation.  If ICE declines to accept the request for an investigation, USCIS has non law enforcement personnel who do routine fraud investigations.