Illegal Trade

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement plays an integral role in protecting the American public from international terrorism, working with U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) to keep our homeland safe along and within our borders. One of the ways ICE achieves this mission is through initiatives such as Project Shield America—part of ICE’s strategy to prohibit illegal exporters, foreign countries, terrorist groups and international crime organizations from trafficking in weapons of mass destruction (WMD) and the various components, licensable commodities, technologies, conventional munitions and firearms that are part of WMD.

There has been a need for an initiative such as Project Shield America since World War II, as adversaries of the U.S. began to acquire U.S. and Western technology by both legal and illegal means. Nuclear, chemical and biological weapons and their components are more widely available to terrorists and rogue nations now than at any other time in our history.

Project Shield America works in concert with the three-pronged effort of ICE’s Export Enforcement Program: 1. CBP inspectors stationed at high-threat ports selectively inspect suspect export shipments; 2. ICE special agents deployed throughout the country initiate and pursue high-quality cases that result in the arrest, prosecution and conviction of violators of various acts and statutes that prohibit illegal export and trading; 3. ICE attaché offices enlist the support of their host governments to help initiate new investigative leads based on information provided by their foreign contacts, and to develop information in support of ongoing domestic investigations.

In order for ICE to achieve success in protecting America’s high-tech resources and preventing our adversaries from acquiring new technologies and/or gaining a military advantage, ICE needs the cooperation of the export community. ICE recommends that industry partners implement an export management system (EMS), consisting of several elements that will facilitate export control. These elements include:

• A policy statement demonstrating senior management’s commitment to export control.
  
  
• Identification of persons within the company who are responsible for export control.
  
  
• An up-to-date training program for employees with exports responsibilities.
  
  
• A program for maintaining records in compliance with export regulations.
  
  
• Periodic internal review of the EMS.
  
  
• A procedure for dealing with violations or noncompliance of exports regulations.
  
  
• A strict policy of reporting suspicious orders or inquiries to ICE.

If you have information regarding international terrorism, violations of U.S. export laws or economic sanctions and embargoes, and wish to speak to an ICE special agent, please call: (866) DHS-2-ICE [(800) 347-2423]. You will remain anonymous and could receive a cash award for your information.

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