Immigration agents to get expanded powers

U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder said on Wednesday that Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents will receive expanded powers to make drug arrests.

Holder announced the changes to the Senate and the actions are particularly targeted towards Mexico. Furthermore, the move was also done to quell a “long-running turf dispute with the Drug Enforcement Administration:”

In the past, when ICE agents wanted to work on their own drug investigations, they had to seek the permission of the DEA and make sure that the ICE agents involved had Title 21 authority. ICE maintained this scenario hampered their ability to work cases, especially on the border where ICE has such a large presence. DEA fought back, claiming that ICE agents did not have the expertise to handle narcotics investigations.

A real world example would be when ICE agents raid a safe house full of illegal immigrants and discover that it’s really a drug operation. Under the current regulations, the ICE agents would not be allowed to make any drug-related arrests unless the DEA was called to the scene.

With such an escalation of crimes near the U.S.-Mexico border, the plan will also try to contain any spillover of violence into the U.S.

Holder is expected to formally announce the move at a news conference on Thursday.

Image-Voice of America
Online Sources- The Latin Americanist, MSNBC, AP, Washington Post