Bureaucratic Agencies: Immigration and Customs Enforcement
Brianna Braxton
Majmundar
AP US Government and Politics
7 March 2016
Brianna Braxton
Majmundar
AP US Government and Politics
7 March 2016
A Look Into Immigration and Customs Enforcement
Just as the various other bureaucratic agencies within the United States government serve specific purposes, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, or ICE, does as well. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, whose headquarters is in Washington, D.C., was formed in 2003, the result of a merger between the Immigration and Naturalization Service and the U.S. Customs Service. ICE has many sub-departments dedicated to immigration control, smuggling and trafficking investigation, and terrorism
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In February, there was a picket at ICE’s headquarters regarding the treatment of its employees. Their Office of Inspector General has called for an “investigation into the culture of discrimination, gross-mismanagement, and harassment that pervades the agency’s leadership.” The agency’s leaders have been accused of mistreating employees who fall under the category of “pregnant female, veteran, union representative, or person of color.” Similarly, ICE has fallen under attack for its treatment of those held in their custody. These accusations specifically pertain to the medical care under which ICE puts these individuals. Several associations, such as the National Immigrant Justice Center, claim that ICE’s “inadequate medical care at its detention facilities” is a direct cause of numerous detainee deaths. It is for these purposes that Immigration and Customs Enforcement has undergone investigation into its practices and conduct of late. However, ICE can also be attributed to recent success in its endeavors. In May 2015, Homeland Security Investigations found and returned several stolen Italian antiques. On March 3, the Immigration and Customs Enforcement website reported the HSI’s success in apprehending over a million in dollars allegedly linked to drug export and a private airplane in a Maryland airport, alongside the Baltimore County Police Department, Maryland State Police, and “other members of a multi-agency task
Immigration Reform is obviously a big issue in America today. I mean everywhere you go; you either see something about or read about it. There is no exact number as to how many illegal immigrants cross the border, but it is estimated to be around 11 to 12 million. This has become a major political and social issue because of the continued flow of illegal immigrants. There is nothing really around that will stop this problem. Nothing has really been done, I mean there are borders and all, but who watches the borders to stop the immigration and even so there is no one there to protect the people who are there trying to prevent it. Anything can happen to the people who are watching the borders such as being shot at and things of the nature,
Long before Donald Trump announced his candidacy for president, border patrol has been an issue talked about in abhorrence for years. In this cartoon the U.S. border patrol is patrolling the border and drawn to a yellow sign that reads, “CAUTION,” and has a silhouette of a family running. Underneath that is another yellow sign, but this one reads, “OUTSOURCING,” and features robbers fleeing. The border control is looking at the signs puzzled. Through this drawing, Bennett asked his audience, “Do we really want to vote for a man who worries more about families coming to the U.S. to better their lives? Or people in the U.S. taking our profits and business to other countries?” As I said earlier, questioning some of Trump’s motives is questioning
The focused immigrant detention structures are the ones established by ICE following the September 11, 2001 attacks, and the criminal holding system model established in 2008 by ICE (ABA, 1). Following September 11th and the creation of DHS, DHS's purpose was to build a continuous strategy of national security as a way to combat terrorism. Shortly after its creation, DHS passed an act in 2003 that dismantled the Immigration and Naturalization Service and appointed its previous responsibilities to three bureaus. ICE was one of the bureaus and through the act it held the responsibilities through five operation divisions: “the
The United States has long served as a refuge for people who seek to escape hunger, poverty, torture, and the oppression of the human spirit in their own countries. However, the issue of immigration in the United States has become a political flashpoint since the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001. The sacralization of the tragedy has served to paint all immigrants with the same fear-ladened brush, and has marginalized and stereotyped an already vulnerable population. Today, more than ever, immigrants in the United States face increasing stressors as they try to assimilate in a politically charged post 9/11 world. To be an effective social worker, immigration issues and multicultural awareness is critical. Mary and Mario, a couple who
“We are nation of immigrants. Some came here willingly, some unwillingly. Nonetheless, we are immigrants, or the descendants of immigrants, one, and all. Even the natives came from somewhere else, originally. All of the people who come to this country come for freedom, or for some product of that extraordinary, illusory condition. That is what we offer here—freedom and opportunity in a land of relative plenty.” (Middletown Journal 2005)
One of the most defining traits for the United States of America is that the nation is one made up of immigrants, it is a basic building block that can not be overlooked, nor should it. That being said, it is important to countless citizens to be open when it comes to immigration, while keeping the country hospitable to its citizens for generations to come. However, this attitude to immigration is a fairly recent phenomenon in American history, especially in regards to immigrants coming in from non-Western European countries. With the introduction of the Immigration Act of 1965 and the Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986 (IRCA) came about the changes to immigration policy that would forever change the face of the nation and create the diversity that has become a point of pride. The sentiment is not felt nationwide, however, as the immigration patterns brought about with these two acts has brought hostility as well, especially from those who feel that immigration is a threat to the country as a whole, specifically illegal immigration. Immigration, and its illegal counterpart, is an issue that defines this period in American history, and while it did not necessary start off targeting Mexican and Latino immigrants, it has very much been immortalized within the communities and become the face of immigrants to the nation as a whole.
ICE stands for the Immigration and Customs Enforcement, they deal with matters concerning border control, customs, trade and immigration to insure public safety and homeland security. Their priorities focus on preventing terrorism and the illegal movement of items, as well as people. Within ICE, there are three subgroups that fall into specialized tasks for the agency, such as Homeland security investigations (HSI) and the Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO). Although being a fairly new agency there has been more than a few controversies on how ICE handles the illegal immigrants, however, since 9/11 the U.S has been trying to find the most effective ways to stop terrorism. So, that also means that not everyone would agree with the tactics that ICE used to solve the problem for those specific cases.
The U.S. Border Patrol to me is very important to the United States of America and to me as well. Without the Border Patrol, America would be a goat standing in the middle of a wolf cage. The Border Patrol and their agents border the boundaries of America so we can be safe in our homes. People don’t realize how important any kind of law enforcement is, until the day that they need assistance comes. I don’t take our men and women who protect us Americans; it is something that not everyone can say that they have. I have no one in my family that has worked with the Border Patrol, and I want to be the first in my family to join the Border Patrol. I am from Del Rio Texas, a border town neighbors with Mexico. The U.S. Border
Illegal immigration was an issue in the past and is a pressing problem in the present. The U.S. Government has been trying to find a resolution to this issue for years. The United States approved the Immigration Reform and Control Act in 1986, which allowed the American Government to punish American companies that consciously employed illegal immigrants (Nadadur 1037-1052). The United States’ Government Immigration Reform and Control Act has been unsuccessful in controlling illegal immigration. It is estimated that illegal immigration into the U.S. has a yearly interval of three hundred fifty thousand people (Rousmaniere 24-25). It is apparent that the 1986 act was not able to keep a handle on illegal immigration. Illegal immigration
United States Border Patrol has been around since 1904 enforcing and regulating laws under the immigration and Nationality Act. U.S. border patrol is now under the Department of Homeland Security, which was created as a response to the attacks of September 11, 2001. Over the years, their jurisdiction and missions have changed to better protect the safety of nation. Although border patrol is a need for any nation, their extensive acceptations to constitutional laws can often be taken advantage of. The mission of the U.S. border patrol should be to prevent illegal aliens, which are a threat to American society, from reaching their purpose. Frequently, their purpose can be confused or executed in a bias manner.
The United States of America experienced the greatest, and arguably the most significant, restructure of both governmental and legal proportions in its contemporary history. Following the suddenness of the attacks, the United States was desperate to ensure that an onslaught of a similar stature was subdued. Henceforth, the Homeland Security Act of 2002 was established, bringing into existence the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), a department specifically concerned with internal issues faced by the USA. Primarily made as a direct response to the 9/11 attacks, the role of the DHS is to protect the United States of America and its given states and territories from danger; specifically, terrorist attacks, man-made accidents, and natural disasters; this is commonly seen in airports in the form of Customs and Border Control which are two functions of the DHS, following its subsequent take over of the IHS (Immigration and Naturalisation Services) in 2003. In the same movement for security, the *USA PATRIOT Act of 2001 was legislated in an attempt to “detect and prosecute terrorism and other crimes”
Security purposes would decrease the amount of unidentified immigrants. In 2011, ICE removed more than 396,000 individuals. ICE (United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement) is essentially the immigration cops and ensure that immigration laws are being enforced for public safety. It is one of the largest
U.S Customs and Border Protection has also been in charge in keeping terrorist and terrorist weapons out of the country while enforcing hundreds of U.S laws (Peak, 2009, Pg. 164). Consequently, immigrants have been victims of human trafficking. According to Larry K. Gaines from the textbook Criminal Justice in Action, U.S Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has played an important role in focusing the nation’s borders. Their mission is to detain illegal aliens and deport them to their country, and disrupting trafficking operations. In 2008, ICE removed about
The United States is a country affected by illegal immigration. The term illegal aliens or what is most commonly known as illegal immigrants, the word alien is simply a person who comes from a foreign country. A much more accurate expression for these groups of individuals is the term illegal alien. The term illegal alien is a much more precise term because it deals with both undocumented aliens as well as nonimmigrant visa overstayers. Both terms illegal alien as well as illegal immigrant are used to describe individuals who have broken the law of our country to enter and work illegally. The majority of the immigrants who come to this country illegally are in search of the
Today, the United States is home to the largest immigrant population in the world. Even though immigrants assimilate faster in the United States compared to different developed nations, immigration policy has become an highly controversial topic in the Unite States, while much of the debate is around culture and religion, the effects of immigration on economy is clear. Immigration policy has become a highly pressing issue in America. While much of the debate centers on cultural issues, the economic effects of immigration are clear. Economic analysis finds little to no proof to support that influx of foreign labor have reduced jobs or American wages. Economic theoretical predictions and a bulk of academic research confirms that wages are unaffected by immigration over the long term and the economic effects immigration are mostly positive for natives and for the economy over all.