ICE consists of three directorates to accomplish the agency’s mission, including Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) and Management and Administration (M&A).
ICE's primary mission is to promote homeland security and public safety through the criminal and civil enforcement of federal laws governing border control, customs, trade and immigration.
Catch up on ICE’s most popular news stories from the week ending March 25, 2016
ICE executes its mission through the enforcement of more than 400 federal statutes, focusing on preventing terrorism, immigration enforcement and combating transnational crime.
Share
In furtherance of the ICE mission, the General and Administrative Law attorneys support a diverse portfolio of ICE-wide general law programs as well as OPLA-wide mission and program support. The General and Administrative Law component covers a broad legal portfolio and is comprised of several specialized Divisions, described below.
The attorneys in the Commercial and Administrative Law Division provide legal services in the areas of debt collection (including immigration surety bond debts and worksite enforcement fines), procurement, fiscal, administrative and environmental law. They advise ICE operational components and represent ICE in litigation in federal courts and before the General Accountability Office, the Civilian Board of Contract Appeals and various administrative bodies.
The ICE Ethics Office provides advice, guidance and training on the ethical standards that apply to every ICE employee.Its attorneys are responsible for establishing, maintaining and carrying out the ICE ethics program, which includes collecting, reviewing and certifying financial disclosure reports, providing ethics advice on the standards of conduct and executing a robust employee ethics education program.In addition to these duties, the ICE Ethics Office serves as the ICE point-of-contact for attorney professional responsibility complaints and oversees the Administrative Inquiry and Management Referral program for attorney misconduct cases.
The attorneys in the Government Information Law Division advise all ICE program offices on matters relating to the disclosure of agency information within DHS and to external entities. Their work includes the legal review of international agreements, such as Mutual Legal Assistance Treaties, Customs Mutual Assistance Agreements and Letters of Intent with foreign governments. They also adjudicate all administrative appeals under the Freedom of Information Act and assist U.S. Attorneys’ Offices in the defense of information-related litigation filed against ICE.
The Labor and Employment Law Division serves the agency by fostering compliance with federal personnel law, representing the agency in employment and labor-related litigation, and providing advice and guidance to ICE supervisors and managers on a variety of topics relating to personnel management. The Division’s attorneys represent ICE in litigation before the Merit Systems Protection Board and the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, and work with the Department of Justice to defend ICE against various federal lawsuits including Title VII, the Equal Pay Act, the Age Discrimination in Employment Act, the Americans with Disabilities Act, and Rehabilitation Act. This Division trains ICE managers and supervisors on ways to ensure that ICE is a discrimination- and harassment-free workplace where employees can succeed.
