By: Tracy Waller, MPH, Esq.
From 1933 to 2002, a federal agency called the Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS) oversaw the immigration process, enforcement, and border patrol activities. After the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, the U.S. government decided that too many different agencies were handling national security separately.
To fix that, Congress passed the Homeland Security Act of 2002, which removed INS and created the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). It is part of the Executive Branch of the U.S. government, under the president. Inside DHS are several federal agencies (called “components”) that handle specific jobs.
DHS officially began operations in 2003 and pulled together 22 federal agencies under one umbrella to focus on protecting the U.S. from terrorism and managing border security, immigration, natural disasters, and cybersecurity.
When the old INS was removed, its duties were split among three new DHS agencies: U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), and U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP). Each of the three have a different purpose, but they can sometimes be confused.
The Three Immigration Agencies:
- 1) U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS): USCIS is the government agency that takes care of most immigration paperwork and services. It was created to make the immigration process safer and more efficient by handling applications for things like green cards, citizenship, and other immigration benefits.
- This means USCIS reviews and decides on applications and requests that let people who are not U.S. citizens do certain things, such as live, work, or study in the United States. This includes:
- Become U.S. citizens through naturalization, which means when you were previously a citizen of another country;
- Obtain a green card, this gives them legal permission to live in the United States permanently;
- Apply to work in the United States;
- Bring family members to the live in the United States;
- Ask for protection as a refugee or asylum seeker; and
- Renew or replace important immigration papers such as green cards or work permits.
- This means USCIS reviews and decides on applications and requests that let people who are not U.S. citizens do certain things, such as live, work, or study in the United States. This includes:
- 2) Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE): ICE enforces immigration and customs laws inside the country (not at the border). It works inside the United States to enforce and to investigate crimes connected to illegal immigration, human trafficking, cybercrime, and the smuggling of goods.
You can think of ICE as the law enforcement part of immigration. While USCIS handles the paperwork and applications, ICE makes sure people follow the immigration laws.- ICE has two major branches:
- Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO):
- Finds, holds, and sends people out of the country who break immigration laws.
- Works with other government agencies to run immigration detention centers.
- Handles the process for people who have been ordered to leave the United States.
- Homeland Security Investigations (HSI):
- Investigates major crimes such as:
- Human trafficking;
- Child exploitation;
- Drug smuggling;
- Money-related crimes;
- Cybercrimes, or online crimes;
- Fake, or counterfeit goods; and
- Illegal weapons trade.
- Works in the U.S. and in other countries to stop criminal groups that could harm national security.
- Investigates major crimes such as:
- Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO):
- ICE has two major branches:
- 3) U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP): CBP is the agency that protects the country’s borders and controls who and what can come into or leave the United States. It guards and manages borders, airports, and ports where people and goods enter or exit the country.
CBP are the officers you see at:- Airports (passport control/customs)
- Land border crossings (like U.S.–Mexico or U.S.–Canada)
- Seaports (where cargo ships dock)
Divisions within CBP:
- U.S. Border Patrol: Protects areas between official border crossings, such as deserts, rivers, and rural areas.
- Office of Field Operations (OFO): Runs official entry points like airports, seaports, and land border crossings.
- Air and Marine Operations (AMO): Uses planes and boats to watch over borders and stop illegal activities.
What do CBP Officers Do?
- Border Security
- Stops illegal immigration, drug smuggling, and human trafficking at and between border crossings.
- Guards land and sea borders.
- Customs Enforcement
- Checks goods coming into the country and collects taxes on imports.
- Makes sure products follow U.S. trade, farming, and safety rules — that they are safe, real (not fake), and legally made.
- Stops harmful insects or diseases from entering the U.S. through food, plants, or animals.
- Traveler Screening:
- Decides whether to admit a traveler at the border or airport once they arrive with a visa
- Checks travelers coming into the U.S. to make sure they have proper documents and are not security risks.
In Summary:
Before 2003, one agency, the INS, handled all immigration matters. Today, that work is divided among three agencies within the Department of Homeland Security:
- USCIS processes applications for citizenship, visas, and green cards.
- ICE enforces immigration laws and investigates serious crimes.
- CBP protects the borders and controls the flow of people and goods in and out of the country.
Each agency plays a different role in the immigration system, but they all work together to keep the immigration process organized, legal, and secure.
