U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement
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Programs
November 19, 2008
Criminal Alien Program
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), the largest investigative agency in the Department of Homeland Security, places a high priority on combating illegal immigration, including targeting illegal aliens with criminal records who pose a threat to public safety. ICE’s Criminal Alien Program (CAP) is responsible for identifying, processing and removing criminal aliens incarcerated in federal, state and local prisons and jails throughout the United States, preventing their release into the general public by securing a final order of removal prior to the termination of their sentences, when possible.
CAP Enforcement Activity
ICE Office of Detention and Removal Operations (DRO) officers and agents assigned to CAP in federal, state, and local prisons and jails throughout the country screen inmates and place detainers on criminal aliens to process them for removal before they are released to the general public. After the screening process and interviews, when required, DRO issues charging documents to formally begin proceedings to remove the criminal alien from the United States.
Detention Enforcement and Processing Offenders by Remote Technology (DEPORT)
Approximately 27 percent of inmates in U.S. Bureau of Prisons (BOP) custody are non-U.S. citizens, according to BOP estimates. DRO created the DEPORT Center in Chicago to process this population through CAP. DRO personnel assigned to the DEPORT Center conduct interviews of BOP inmates nationwide using video teleconference equipment. Through the combined effort of the DEPORT Center and local DRO resources, criminal aliens from all 114 federal detention facilities are taken into DRO custody upon completion of their sentences.
CAP Results
DRO tracks CAP charging documents issued to criminal aliens. Although DRO begins removal proceedings against criminal aliens through CAP, they may remain in prison or jail to complete criminal hearings or sentences.
- CAP charging documents issued to criminal aliens during FY07: 164,296
- CAP charging documents issued to criminal aliens during FY08: 221,085
- DEPORT charging documents issued to BOP inmates during FY07: 11,292
- DEPORT charging documents issued to BOP inmates during FY08: 5,933
ICE ACCESS Components
CAP is only one element of ICE’s comprehensive strategy to build cooperative relationships with local law enforcement agencies. There is no “one size fits all” solution that will apply to every community in the country, so area Special Agents in Charge (SACs) and Field Office Directors (FODs) work closely with their local counterparts to find solutions that will meet their needs. The complete list of ICE ACCESS components is available for download at www.ice.gov/partners/dro/iceaccess.htm.
