Immigration and Customs Enforcement

Immigration and Customs Enforcement
Abbreviation	ICE
Motto	"Protecting National Security and Upholding Public Safety"
Predecessor	•  Criminal investigation resources of the •  United States Immigration and Naturalization Service •  Investigative and intelligence resources of the •  United States Customs Service
Parent organization	US/Department/Homeland Security
Headquarters	Washington DC
Staff	19,330
Interests	immigrants, Civil asset forfeiture
Interest of	Amnesty International USA

The US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) is a US based governmental group. It is given data such as guest lists by hotels.

Methods

Civil asset forfeiture

Full article: Civil asset forfeiture

A 2017 a handbook was leaked which advised ICE members on Civil asset forfeiture.

Mass surveillance

Full article: Mass surveillance

The US deep state is using ICE to roll out Mass surveillance technology.

Number plate recognition

In January 2018, the ICE was officially permitted to agency-wide access to a nationwide license plate recognition database. The system gave the agency access to billions of license plate records and new powers of real-time location tracking, raising concerns from civil liberties.

Hidden CCTV

In 2018 US government documents revealed that the ICE was hiding CCTV cameras in ordinary roadside objects such as street lights.

Minimum Prisoner levels

Ghita Schwartz, Senior Staff Attorney for CCR, said, in releasing the report: “Almost all guaranteed minimums [of prisoners] are found in facilities that contract with private prison companies, and ICE [Immigration and Customs Enforcement] actively collaborates with these companies to keep details of their contracts secret.”

Presidential Briefings

Trump

President Trump’s following comment came during a White House discussion about so-called sanctuary cities. He was responding to Sheriff Margaret Mims, of Fresno County, California, who had recounted how California state laws were holding her back from cooperating with deportation efforts by federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents.

Here’s their exchange:

   Sheriff Mims: “There could be an MS-13 member I know about — if they don’t reach a certain threshold, I cannot tell ICE about it.” 

Trump reacted with the following;

“We have people coming into the country, or trying to come in — and we’re stopping a lot of them — but we’re taking people out of the country. You wouldn’t believe how bad these people are. These aren’t people. These are animals. And we’re taking them out of the country at a level and at a rate that’s never happened before. And because of the weak laws, they come in fast, we get them, we release them, we get them again, we bring them out. It’s crazy.”
Donald Trump (May 2018) 

Many thanks to our Patrons who cover ~2/3 of our hosting bill. Please join them if you can.