Definitely one of the hottest topics in politics right now is the rise of the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, also known as “ICE”. ICE has more than 20,000 law enforcement officers and workers currently serving with more than 400 offices in the U.S. and around the world. The agency started in 2003, set into motion by the Homeland Security Act. Now, it is the biggest reorganization the government has ever executed since the creation of the Department of Defense.
Immigration enforcement has been a federal need since the court case Chy Lung v Freeman in 1876. The Supreme Court ruled that the federal government has the authority to regulate immigration. More specifically, the 1891 Immigration Act gave full power to the federal government to handle immigration Enforcement.
ICE operates through 3 operational directorates which are known as HSI, ERO, and OPLA. The HSI (Homeland Security Investigations) are the main investigators for the ICE agency. This group focuses on mainly trying to take down illegal immigrant movements like illegal movement of weapons, people, goods, and money. The HSI has offices in more than 235 cities in the world and more than 90 offices in 50 different countries. Foreign officers are meant to stop crime before it reaches the U.S.
The ERO (Enforcement and Removal Operations) is the branch of ICE that arrests/detains non-citizens who violate the immigration laws.
The OPLA (Office of the Principal Legal Advisor) represents immigrants in court. It is the largest legal program in DHS, with more than 1,700 attorneys and 300 support personnel. They mainly provide accurate and timely legal advice and an exclusive representative of DHS in immigration removal proceedings before an Immigration review. The OPLA also provides legal services to ICE programs and offices. On top of that, they also provide legal advice for ICE personnel on their authorities and liability on certain Acts.
Donald Trump has taken major steps with the agency immediately since joining in 2025. His main goals were to enforce and reshape the immigration policy in his campaign. To start off his deportation campaign, Trump carried out many deportations of third-world countries, issued nationwide immigration raids, and gave new or extended freedom for local officials to enforce domestic immigration laws.
Trump has taken these rulings into even more effect this January. He has been trying to assign many federal agencies to play more enforcement roles. This is a huge shift from what has been happening in the White House in previous years, with Obama and Biden in office. And many people are very upset with the ICE officer raids going on.