A specific function of an element of the U.S.Department of Homeland Research Paper

A specific function of an element of the U.S.Department of Homeland Security...I want to ICE - Research Paper Example However, it seems that many had barely looked at the surface, while credits for the many accomplishments in the preservation of national security were enjoyed by renowned groups only. There is more to ICE than meets the eye. Crime has many forms, and until one is committed, authorities may not be instigated to design the appropriate laws and the organization to enforce them. The establishment of the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) entails a long history of trial and error. From a small unit, it evolved into an all-encompassing crime-busting organization, and front-liner in the operation against terrorism. In fact, before 9/11, immigration and customs authorities were not widely recognized as an effective counterterrorism tool in the United States. ICE changed this by creating a host of new systems to better address national security threats and to detect potential terrorist activities in the United States. ICE targets the people, money, and materials that support terrorist criminal activity (Fay, 2007, p. 591) So much was the impact of the 9-11 tragedy that the Government addressed areas of â€Å"national security† before all other concerns. Intelligence planned to engage in strategies to monitor all means of communications and dissemination of information. The President made efforts to build close relationships with his counterparts abroad to extend the nation’s scope of alliance. Federal authorities created ICE to ensure that whatever the cause of the blunder was, it will not happen again. Today, although ICE is hardly ever portrayed in the big screen like the FBI and CIA, and thus is not identified by many, it is always included in the cast when national security is at risk. They perform such functions that affect millions of lives, directly and indirectly. Since then, the United States has not been subjected to anymore instance of terrorist attack, and the question lies on whether it was due to ICE’s effective performance, or