The U.S. Bureau of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) performs law enforcement functions under the Department of Homeland Security.
The federal agency’s mission is to ensure homeland security and public safety through immigration enforcement, investigating the illegal movement of people and goods, and preventing terrorism.
ICE Investigates Child Pornography
ICE, in cooperation with two other federal agencies, investigated a Minnesota man, Bryan Erickson, for trading child pornography with an internet group.
Erickson used an online computer app to exchange sexually explicit pictures of minors. He was also involved in chatting with another man for the purpose of molesting children.
Erickson was then sentenced to 75 months in prison for receiving and trading child pornography, according to a July 19, 2018 press release.
ICE Investigates Firearm Violations
Majd Al Helwani, a Syrian national living in Indiana, was investigated and indicted for illegally possessing firearms. A citizen alerted ICE officials in December 2017 that Helwani was in possession of handguns and rifles.
ICE determined that Helwani, a non-immigrant tourist, had lied on federal forms to acquire the weapons by misrepresenting his immigrant status. Helwani faces four felony counts and 10 years in jail if convicted.
ICE and Public Safety
On July 16, 2018, ICE arrested 37 criminal aliens in Middlesex County who had been previously jailed for criminal offenses. County jail officials had released them into the general population without complying with an ICE detaining order.
ICE believes that Middlesex County in New Jersey is operating as a sanctuary city in violation of federal law.