The Office of International Affairs, housed within ICE's Homeland Security Investigations, enhances national security by conducting and coordinating investigations involving transnational criminal organizations and serving as the agency's liaison to counterparts in local government and law enforcement.
2. The Office of International Affairs, housed within ICE's
Homeland Security Investigations, enhances national
security by conducting and coordinating investigations
involving transnational criminal organizations and
serving as the agency's liaison to counterparts in local
government and law enforcement. The office protects
America's borders and enhances national security and
public safety by investigating, disrupting and
dismantling transnational criminal organizations that
engage in all types of smuggling. This includes
narcotics, money, weapons, sensitive technologies, as
well as the smuggling and trafficking of human beings.
3. The Office of International Affairs also investigates the
criminal threats that transnational criminal
organizations pose to America's legitimate commercial
trade, travel and financial systems through trade fraud
and intellectual property theft; the diversion of military
weapons, munitions and sensitive technologies;
international money laundering and financial fraud;
immigration fraud; forced child labor; and child sex
tourism and the sexual exploitation of children.
4. Bulk Cash Smuggling
The HSI Bulk Cash Smuggling Center identifies,
investigates and disrupts bulk cash smuggling
activities around the world and trains local law
enforcement partners on investigative
techniques.
5. Cultural Property, Art and
Antiquities
Returning a nation's looted cultural heritage or stolen
artwork promotes goodwill with foreign governments and
citizens while protecting the world's cultural heritage and
knowledge of past civilizations. Federal importation laws
give HSI the authority to lead investigations involving the
illicit importation and distribution of cultural property, art
and antiquities. The Office of International Affairs leads the
execution of many of these investigations through
specially-trained, internationally-assigned investigators who
coordinate with private institutions and foreign
governments, in addition to domestic HSI investigators'
coordination with federal, state, and local agencies.
6. Cyber Crimes Center
The Cyber Crimes Center brings together HSI
special agents, intelligence research specialists
and others who support HSI crime investigations
tied to the Internet. The center integrates the full
range of HSI computer and forensic assets in a
single location and has three operational
components, focusing on child exploitation,
computer forensics and other cybercrime.
7. Foreign Political Corruption Task
Force
This HSI task force is dedicated to locating
individuals who were members of foreign
governments or financial industries that have fled
to the United States and their ill-gotten funds. In
most cases, recovered assets are repatriated to
the foreign countries through asset sharing
agreements.
8. Foreign Fugitives
Foreign fugitives are individuals wanted in other
countries, for any crime, who have violated
immigration law in order to be in the United
States. In cases where the subject is already in
removal proceedings or has no status in the
United States, Enforcement and Removal
Operations (ERO) has the case authority.
9. Forensic Document Laboratory
HSI's Forensic Document Laboratory provides a
broad range of forensic, intelligence and
investigative support services for ICE, DHS and
many other U.S. and foreign law enforcement
agencies. This laboratory is accredited as a crime
laboratory.
10. Human Smuggling & Trafficking
Center
The Human Smuggling & Trafficking Center is an
HSI-led multi-agency effort that seeks to bridge
the gap between the intelligence community and
law enforcement regarding information and
intelligence related to human smuggling and
trafficking. Additionally, the center seeks to
identify priority subjects for human smuggling
and trafficking investigations and build case
support information for investigations into them.
11. Intellectual Property Rights
Coordination Center
The Intellectual Property Rights Coordination
Center is an HSI-led task force made up of 21
federal agencies with a vested interest in
intellectual property enforcement. Member
agencies share information, develop initiatives,
coordinate enforcement actions and present a
"one-stop shop" for U.S. expertise and contacts
on intellectual property crimes and enforcement
of intellectual property rights for businesses.
12. International Agreements and
Arrangements Program
In collaboration with ICE's Office of the Principal
Legal Advisor and other DHS and U.S.
government agencies, this program, which is
housed within the Office of International Affairs,
manages the process of drafting, negotiating and
concluding international agreements and
arrangements that support HSI's investigative
mission, including customs mutual assistance
agreements, letters of intent, memoranda of
cooperation and memoranda of understanding.
13. International Visitors Program
The Office of International Affairs cultivates and
maintains important contacts with foreign
counterparts through this program. These visits
facilitate the exchange of information and
strengthen professional relationships with
international law enforcement agencies and
senior government officials resulting in more
successful HSI investigations abroad. Ultimately,
the opportunity to address key border and
investigative issues aids HSI and our allies in the
joint efforts to promote security worldwide.
14. Law Enforcement Paroles
In support of law enforcement activities – usually
to testify or in support of investigative activity,
HSI paroles individuals into the United States
who would otherwise be ineligible for a visa or
entry into the United States. The program is
tightly controlled through central points of
contact throughout law enforcement agencies.
15. Personnel Recovery Unit
The Office of International Affair's Personnel
Recovery Unit focuses on four areas of
responsibility to enable ICE employees and their
family members to prepare for, prevent, respond
to and survive isolating events overseas. These
areas include: Program Management and
Communications; Operations Support; Training
and Equipment; and Analysis and Reporting.
16. Repatriation
ERO coordinates with HSI in the repatriation
process to ensure that other countries accept the
return of their nationals in accordance with
international law. ERO also coordinates with HSI
and host countries to implement tools and
procedures to expedite the return process.
17. Trade Transparency Unit
HSI, in cooperation with the Departments of
State and Treasury, established this initiative to
protect the integrity and security of the U.S.
economy by targeting and eliminating systemic
vulnerabilities in commercial trade and in the
financial and transportation sectors, which are
susceptible to exploitation by criminal and
terrorist organizations.
