Homeland Security Investigations

DHS seal

HSI Special Agent badge

**Homeland Security Investigations** (HSI) is a United States federal law enforcement agency within U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), it serves as the primary investigative arm of the Department of Homeland Security. HSI consists of more than 10,300 employees who are assigned to over 210 cities throughout the U.S. and 80 international offices in 53 countries across the world. Approximately 7,100+ Special Agents (Criminal Investigators) are included among the over 10,300 HSI employees, making it the second largest investigative service in the United States, behind the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). HSI was formerly known as the ICE Office of Investigations (OI) until 2010.

HSI Special Agents investigate violations of more than 400 U.S. laws that threaten the national security of the United States such as counter-proliferation; counterterrorism; human smuggling and trafficking; weapons smuggling and export enforcement; narcotics smuggling and trafficking; document and benefit fraud; the manufacturing, sale, and use of counterfeit immigration and identity documents; human rights violations; transnational gang activity; financial crimes, including money laundering and bulk cash smuggling; cybercrime; exploitation of children and sex tourism; trade crimes such as commercial fraud and intellectual property theft; smuggling of counterfeit pharmaceuticals and other merchandise; mass-marketing fraud; art theft; international cultural property and antiquities crimes; and visa security. HSI Agents can be requested to provide security for VIPs, and also augment the U.S. Secret Service during overtaxed times such as special security events and elections.

The current Acting Executive Associate Director of HSI is Robert Healy.

## HSI Priorities

* Narcotics smuggling
* Money laundering
* Child exploitation
* Labor exploitation
* Transnational gangs
* Human smuggling
* Human trafficking
* Weapons trafficking
* Identity and benefit theft
* Financial fraud and scams
* Illegal technology procurement and sanctions violations
* Terrorism and threats to national security
* Human rights violations and war crimes
* Cultural property, art, and antiquities smuggling
* Intellectual property theft and trade fraud
* Cybercrime

## ICE Structure

### Office of the Director

* Director
* Deputy Director
* Chief of Staff

### Enforcement and Removal Operations

* Removal Division
* Secure Communities and Enforcement Division
* Immigration Health Services Division
* Mission Support Division
* Detention Management Division
* Local Field Offices

### Homeland Security Investigations

* Domestic Operations Division
* International Operations Division
* Intelligence Division
* Mission Support Division
* National Intellectual Property Rights Coordination Center
* National Security Investigations Division

### Administrative

* Management and Administration
* Office of Professional Responsibility
* Office of the Principal Legal Advisor

## HSI Domestic Operations

The largest cadre of Special Agents are located within Domestic Operations. HSI is primarily a criminal investigative agency and consistently leads the feds in arrests. In FY 2020, HSI Special Agents made 31,915 criminal arrests, rescued or identified 1,012 child exploitation victims, and seized $341 million worth of counterfeit goods, 6,195 lbs of fentanyl and $1.8 billion in currency & assets from criminal organizations.

HSI has played a key role in investigating and arresting citizens suspected of possessing and distributing child pornography. In April 2006, ICE's Cyber Crimes Center, Child Exploitation Section, initiated an investigation into criminal organizations that distributed child pornography. The project, dubbed Operation Flicker, found that there were a number of government employees, including "dozens of Pentagon staff and contractors with high-level security clearance," who had downloaded child pornography.

## HSI Office of Intelligence

The Office of Intelligence is a subcomponent of HSI that employs a variety of special agents and Intelligence Research Specialists to facilitate HSI's tactical and strategic intelligence demands. Collectively, these intelligence professionals collect, analyze, and disseminate intelligence for use by the operational elements of DHS. The Office of Intelligence works closely with the intelligence components of other federal, state, and local agencies. Many HSI field offices assign intelligence analysts to specific groups, such as financial crimes, counter-proliferation, narcotics, or document fraud; or they can be assigned to a residential intelligence unit, known as a Field Intelligence Group (FIG). HSI agents assigned to FIGs generally focus on Human Intelligence (HUMINT) collection.

## HSI International Operations

International Operations, formerly known as the Office of International Affairs (OIA), is a subcomponent of HSI with agents stationed in 60 locations around the world. HSI's foreign offices, known as Attaché Offices, work with foreign governments to identify and combat transnational criminal organizations before they threaten the United States. IO also facilitates domestic HSI investigations by providing intelligence from host countries, conducting collateral investigations, and facilitating international investigations conducted by field offices within the United States.

## HSI Special Response Teams

Seventeen HSI field offices maintain a Special Response Team (SRT) that operates as a federal SWAT element for the office's area of responsibility (AOR). SRT was founded under the U.S. Customs Service as the Warrant Entry and Tactical Team (WETT) and were renamed to SRT in 1998. The SRT handles HSI's high-risk arrest and search warrants, barricaded subjects, rural area operations, VIP protection, sniper coverage for high-risk operations, and security for National Security Events. HSI's active SRTs are located in Tampa, Miami, Arizona (Phoenix), New Orleans, Houston, New York, Boston, Dallas, Los Angeles, San Antonio, San Juan, Detroit, San Francisco, El Paso, Chicago, San Diego and Washington, D.C. There is also a team of instructors and coordinators stationed full-time in Columbus, Georgia. These teams primarily deploy to handle high-risk operations, but also assist in events such as Hurricane Katrina and the 2010 Haiti earthquake, and other natural disasters around the globe.

SRT is a collateral duty open to HSI special agents assigned to an office with a certified team. To qualify, candidates must pass a physical fitness test, qualify with multiple firearms by shooting 90% or better in full tactical gear, and pass an oral interview process. If a candidate passes these stages and is voted on the local team, they are then designated "Green Team" members and allowed to train with the certified team members. Green Team members are eventually sent to the SRT Initial Certification Course at the Office of Firearms and Tactical Programs, Tactical Operations Unit (OFTP/TOU) Fort Benning, Georgia, where they must pass additional physical fitness, firearms, scenario-based and written assessments. Out of approximately 7,100 special agents, there are currently only approximately 300 certified SRT members nationwide.

HSI SRTs often conduct training exercises with various federal, state and local teams, and also assist other teams during national events or large-scale operations that require multiple high-risk scenarios to be conducted simultaneously. The working relationship between the SRTs and the U.S. Department of Defense’s U.S. Special Operations Command has led to SOCOM providing the SRTs with excess Mine Resistant Ambush Protected vehicles (MRAPs), firearms, and other gear designed for use by U.S. Special Operations forces.

## HSI Domestic Offices

### Operations North

* HSI Seattle
* HSI Fort Snelling (Minneapolis/Saint Paul)
* HSI Denver
* HSI Kansas City
* HSI Chicago
* HSI Detroit
* HSI Buffalo
* HSI New York
* HSI Boston
* HSI Philadelphia
* HSI Newark

### Operations Southeast and Islands

* HSI Miami
* HSI Tampa
* HSI San Juan
* HSI Honolulu
* HSI Baltimore
* HSI Reston (Washington, DC)
* HSI Charlotte
* HSI Nashville
* HSI New Orleans
* HSI Atlanta

### Operations Southwest

* HSI Houston
* HSI Dallas
* HSI San Antonio
* HSI El Paso
* HSI Phoenix
* HSI Las Vegas
* HSI San Diego
* HSI Los Angeles
* HSI San Francisco

## Issued Weapons

### Currently Issued

* SIG-Sauer P320 X-Carry Pro
* M4A1/SR-16
* Remington 870

The agency has a list of personally owned weapons that are authorized for duty and off duty carry. These weapons must be inspected and approved by the agency's firearms unit. Many of the approved weapons are formerly issued weapons of either ICE/HSI or it's legacy agencies. The agent and/or officer must qualify with the weapon every three months, the current list is:

* Glock: G17, G19, G26, G43
* SIG-Sauer: P226, P229, P239 (.40 S&W only)
* H&K: P2000 LEM, P2000SK LEM, USP Compact LEM (.40 S&W only)

## Gallery

5.pngDepartment of Homeland Security1.pngImmigration and Customs Enforcement2.pngHSI Special Agent badge3.pngICE Officer badgeHSI Domestic.pngHSI DomesticHSI International.pngHSI InternationalHSI Benefit Crime.pngHSI Benefit FraudHSI Cyber.pngHSI Cyber CrimeHSI Proceeds of Crime.pngHSI Financial CrimeHSI Financial Crime.pngHSI Money LaunderingHSIChildExp.pngHSI Child ExploitationHSI Gangs.pngHSI Gang UnitHSI Trade Transparency.pngHSI Trade TransparencyHSI Human Smuggling.pngHSI Human SmugglingHSI national security.pngHSI National SecurityHSI BEST.pngHSI BESTHSI Counterproliferation.pngHSI CounterproliferationDomestic Operations.pngHSI Domestic OperationsInternational Operations.pngHSI International OperationsHSI ICE SRT LA.pngSpecial Response Team
## See Also

* Center for Countering Human Trafficking: The HSI led DHS program dedicated to combat human trafficking and forced labor.
* Major Case Group: An elite special investigative and tactical surveillance unit
* National Gang Unit: HSI's gang intelligence and investigative support unit
* Illicit Finance and Proceeds of Crime Unit: HSI's transnational financial crime unit which targets profits from organized crime
* Asset Identification and Removal Group: HSI’s highly specialized group which locates, identifies, evaluates and seizes assets from criminals and criminal organizations
* Transnational Organized Crime Unit: HSI's transnational organized crime unit which targets national and international criminal groups
* Trade Transparency Unit: HSI's unit dedicated to maintaining legitimacy in national and international trade
* Child Exploitation Investigations Group: HSI's unit dedicated to identifying and rescuing child victims of human trafficking and child exploitation
* Counterproliferation Investigations Unit: HSI's Counterproliferation unit which targets individuals or organizations trafficking in weapons or military technology
* Financial and General Customs Investigation Group: HSI's general customs and financial investigative unit
* Border Enforcement Security Task Force: A joint federal, state and local task force
* Los Angeles Metropolitan Task Force on Violent Gangs: An interagency FBI led task force in the Los Angeles metro area
* North County Regional Gang Task Force: An interagency FBI led task force in the San Diego/North County area
* Document and Benefit Fraud Task Force: A joint HSI/DSS task force dedicated to document and benefit fraud
* HSI Special Agents: A list of all HSI Special Agents on this wiki
* Human Smuggling and Trafficking Group: HSI’s group dedicated to investigating human smuggling and trafficking
* International Organized Crime Investigations Group: HSI’s group that specializes in international organized crime and criminal organizations
* Cartel Investigations Group: HSI’s group dedicated to investigating and combating criminal drug cartels
* Asset Investigations Recovery Group: HSI’s group that specializes in recovering assets seized from criminals and proceeds of crime
* Financial Crimes and Fraud Investigations Group: HSI’s general financial crime and fraud investigative group
* Identity and Benefit Fraud Investigations Group: HSI’s group that combats identity and benefit fraud
* Trade Fraud and IPR Investigations Group: A HSI group dedicated to combating trade fraud and ensuring intellectual property rights protection
* Global Trade Investigations Group: HSI’s group that ensures transparency in global trade
* Cornerstone Investigations Group: A HSI group that conducts long term financial investigations targeting international criminal organizations that exploit or seek to exploit vulnerabilities within the U.S. financial and trade system
* Gangs and Organized Crime Investigations Group: HSI’s dedicated to combating drug, gang and organized crime and their respective criminal networks