ICE has offices in 5 Canadian cities. Here’s what it can — and can’t — do
CBC
As U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) continues to draw widespread criticism for its deportation crackdown in the States, there’s concern brewing about the agency's presence north of the border.
The U.S. government’s website lists ICE offices in five Canadian cities: Toronto, Vancouver, Calgary, Montreal and Ottawa.
In an emailed statement to CBC News, an ICE spokesperson confirmed its criminal investigative law enforcement component — Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) — conducts work at the U.S. embassy in the country’s capital, and at consulates in the other four cities.
HSI personnel are separate from the ICE arm at the forefront of the immigration crackdowns making headlines in cities like Minneapolis, known as Enforcement and Removal Operations.
According to the government website, HSI has over 93 offices in more than 50 countries, with a mandate to identify and stop crime “before it reaches the United States.”
“HSI special agents conduct criminal investigations to protect the United States from dangerous transnational organizations, like terrorist groups and drug cartels,” the ICE spokesperson told CBC News.
“These skilled and highly trained special agents focus on a wide variety of serious crimes, like drug trafficking, child exploitation, weapons smuggling, human smuggling, financial fraud, and more.”
The ICE spokesperson said the agency also helps track and detain known and potential terrorists before they can carry out attacks against the United States and its allies.
According to the U.S. Embassy in Ottawa, HSI has supported several investigations in Canada, including a case from October where police laid 700 charges against 20 people after a law enforcement operation seized over 14 kilograms of drugs and 35 firearms in raids in Ottawa, Cornwall, Ont., and Akwesasne, Que.
ICE did not confirm how long it has been established in Canada.
Here’s what the U.S. agency can — and can’t — do north of the border:
No. HSI special agents do not conduct operational activities in Canada, such as making arrests or executing search warrants, according to ICE.
No. ICE confirmed HSI agents do not carry firearms in Canada.
News of these ICE field offices spread quickly on social media over the past week, leading to calls for Canada to shut down ICE operations in the country.
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