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[[File:ICE seal.jpg|right|200px]]

[[File:ICE seal.jpg|right|200px]]

'''United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE)''' is the largest investigative agency in the [[United States Department of Homeland Security]] (DHS).

'''United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement''' ('''ICE''') is a federal law enforcement agency under the [[United States Department of Homeland Security]], responsible for enforcing U.S. immigration and customs laws. It is the largest investigative agency in the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and the second largest investigative agency in the U.S. federal government.  

Formed in 2003 as part of the federal government's response to the 9/11 attacks, ICE's primary mission is to protect national security, public safety and the integrity of the U.S. borders through the criminal and civil enforcement of federal laws governing border control, customs, trade and immigration.

Created in 2003 through a merger of the investigative and interior enforcement elements of the U.S. Customs Service and the Immigration and Naturalization Service, ICE now has more than 20,000 employees working in 400 offices in all 50 states and 47 foreign countries. The agency has an annual budget of more than $5.7 billion dollars, primarily devoted to its two principal operating components - Homeland Security Investigations and Enforcement and Removal Operations.  

ICE boasts approximately 19,000 employees in over 400 offices worldwide and an annual budget of more than $5 billion. The agency's law enforcement authorities encompass more than 400 U.S. federal statutes that ICE is responsible for enforcing in its commitment to ensuring national security and public safety. <ref>[http://www.ice.gov/about/index.htm U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement website]</ref>

ICE boasts approximately 19,000 employees in over 400 offices worldwide and an annual budget of more than $5 billion. The agency's law enforcement authorities encompass more than 400 U.S. federal statutes that ICE is responsible for enforcing in its commitment to ensuring national security and public safety. <ref>[http://www.ice.gov/about/index.htm U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement website]</ref>