What are DHS agents?

[john2190]

OK, I've been hearing about these "DHS agents", what exactly do they do?

[Ranger__101]

DHS Agents are generally any Law Enforcement Officer that falls under the Department of Homeland Security. For example off the top of my head Coast Guard, Customs and Boarder Patrol have all been moved under DHS.

I have lost count of how many agencies they are currently in DHS. Maybe one of the other members on the board has a number that's close or exact.

[Puddle Pirate]

I think the Secret Service was absorbed too, although if I remember correctly there were not all that excited to make the transition.

[john2190]

That makes sense, thanks for the info guys.

[Swat1]

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) was created as a knee jerk reaction to the 9/11 terrorist incidents.

Under DHS you have several bureaus. The enforcement arms of DHS fall under the Bureau of Border and Transportation Security (BTS).

Under BTS you have:

The United States Coast Guard

US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) - made up of former US Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS) Inspectors and former US Customs Service (USCS) Inspectors. Border Patrol is also under CBP, but split off from the CBP Inspectors.

US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) - former INS Special Agents, former USCS Special Agents, former INS Detention and Removal Officers (DRO), the Federal Air Marshals (FAM) and the Federal Protective Service (FPS). DRO, FAMs, and FPS have their own chain of command and are not subordinate to the ICE Special Agents in Charge (SAC).

The former INS agents and USCS agents were directly merged into ICE Office of Investigations (OI). I am an ICE agent (former US Customs). In theory our (INS and USCS) missions have been merged together and we are one. In reality we are still not co-located around the country (some places have recently co-located). Many USCS agents do not have language capability to handle the immigration issues, etc.

Most times when you hear the term Homeland Security Agents, it is referring to ICE agents. But, we don't represent ourselves as DHS agents because our badges and credentials are still either INS or USCS depending on which agency you came from. So when conducting operations, contacts, etc., I still say US Customs, because that is what my credentials say.

Now for the big secret:

The Department of Homeland Security Investigative arm (being ICE), does not really have anything more to do with Terrorism, than we did before the merger as our legacy agencies. Using my office as an example, back before the merger when we were still the US Customs Service, RAC Portland we had one guy assigned to the FBI's Joint Terrorism Task Force (JTTF). Guess what, we still have one guy assigned to the JTTF. The INS Portland agents had two agents assigned to the JTTF. Guess what, those numbers have not changed. As a result we have 3 agents assigned to investigate terrorism.

The legacy missions of our agencies still have to be conducted. Just because they changed our name to DHS ICE, doesn't mean that those legacy Customs missions, legacy INS missions, etc. just stopped occurring and everyone was devoted to working terrorism.

Unfortunately, due to the name of our agency, most people thing DHS is working Terrorism, Terrorism and more Terrorism 24/7. Not the case. The FBI has sole jurisdiction over terrorism. If I as a DHS ICE agent come across what looks like it will be a terrorism case, I CAN'T work it without giving the case to the FBI.

Swat1*

[john2190]

Wow, good information. Thanks Swat

[Sleuth]

SWAT1, did you ever attend a class at Marana? I was on staff there from '87 till they closed it in '96.

[Swat1]

Nope, a little before my time.

Swat1*