from ICE - Top Stories US Immigration and Customs Enforcement www.ice.gov .

ICE's top 5 news stories for the week ending Nov. 12, 2010 Nov. 10, 2010 -- Mexican murder suspect captured in northern California returned to Mexico On Halloween night, California Highway Patrol Officers pulled over David Isidoro Ramirez-Priego for suspicion of drunk driving. He was transported to the Yuba County Jail where he was screened for outstanding warrants. The screening revealed that Ramirez-Priego was wanted in Mexico for murder. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers turned him over to Mexican law enforcement officials on Wednesday, Nov. 10. Full Story Nov. 10, 2010 -- North Texas man pleads guilty to receiving child pornography An investigation of Robert John Devalk revealed that he had child pornography stored on his personal computer. He faces a minimum sentence of five years in prison. This investigation was part of Operation Predator, a nationwide ICE initiative to protect children from sexual predators, including those who travel overseas for sex with minors, Internet child pornographers, criminal alien sex offenders and child sex traffickers. Full Story Nov. 9, 2010 -- 4 Illinois counties to benefit from ICE strategy to use biometrics to identify and remove aliens convicted of crime ICE continues to leverage its information-sharing capabilities. Four Illinois counties have activated ICE's Secure Communities Program, which cross references the fingerprints of individuals in the custody of local law enforcement against immigration databases maintained by the Department of Homeland Security. ICE uses the information to identify and remove aliens convicted of crimes. Full Story Nov. 8, 2010 -- 29 charged with sex trafficking juveniles Imagine being removed from everything you know, transported between states and forced to have sex with strangers. No, this isn't a nightmare; these are details from a recent ICE investigation. Four girls - some younger than 14 years old - were forced to prostitute themselves by Somali gangs. Full Story Nov. 8, 2010 -- South Texas man sentenced to 17.5 years for trafficking tons of marijuana Jose Louis Rosenbaum pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute and possession with intent to distribute more than 1,000 kilograms (1.1 tons) of marijuana. According to information presented in court, Rosenbaum served as a "gatekeeper" or liaison between suppliers of marijuana in Mexico and U.S. marijuana wholesale customers. ICE's Office of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) helped expose this drug trafficking operation. Full Story

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About ICE

Immigration and Customs Enforcement is the principal investigative arm of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and the second largest investigative agency in the federal government. Created in 2003 through a merger of the investigative and interior enforcement elements of the U.S. Customs Service and the Immigration and Naturalization Service, ICE now has more than 20,000 employees in more than 400 offices in the United States and 46 foreign countries.

ICE's primary mission is to promote homeland security and public safety through the criminal and civil enforcement of federal laws governing border control, customs, trade, and immigration. The agency has an annual budget of more than $5.7 billion dollars, primarily devoted to its two principal operating components - Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) and Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO).

ICE Strategic Plan Fiscal Years 2010-2014

In June 2010, ICE issued its strategic plan for Fiscal Years 2010-2014. This comprehensive plan lays out how ICE will most effectively meet its responsibilities for criminal investigation and civil immigration enforcement over the next five years. Moreover, ICE is taking steps to streamline and improve its management structure to give the agency a clearer sense of identity and focus.

The plan details four key priorities for the agency's future:

• Prevent terrorism and enhance security
  
  
• Protect the borders against illicit trade, travel and finance
  
  
• Protect the borders through smart and tough interior immigration enforcement
  
  
• Construct an efficient, effective agency

For more information, the full strategic plan is available for download. (pdf file)