Immigration and Customs Enforcement, United States, is a U.S. government agency that enforces immigration law and investigates suspected violations. The agency is often called ICE. A primary goal of the agency is to keep terrorists and terrorist weapons out of the country. ICE began operations in March 2003. It is part of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.
Before 2003, many immigration enforcement responsibilities were provided by the Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS) and the U.S. Customs Service. The INS and the Customs Service were dissolved in March 2003, and many of their responsibilities were transferred to ICE. Other responsibilities of the INS and Customs Service were moved to U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), both of which are also in the Department of Homeland Security.
