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Participating Agencies

United States

Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives

The ATF, a Department of Justice agency, is responsible for regulating interstate and foreign commerce in the firearms and explosives industries, and enforces federal statutes relating to alcohol, tobacco, firearms, and explosives. The Bureau's mission is to prevent terrorism, reduce violent crime, and protect the United States, and it carries out that mission by utilizing resources such as state-of-the-art forensic laboratories, firearms and bullets/shells tracing capabilities, intelligence, training, and web-based informational assets that are made available to its law enforcement counterparts during investigations. ATF is committed to working directly, and through partnerships, to investigate and reduce crime involving firearms and explosives, acts of arson, and the illegal trafficking of alcohol and tobacco products in the domestic and international markets.

Department of Homeland Security

Customs and Border Protection - Office of Border Patrol

Since 1924, the Border Patrol has grown from a handful of mounted agents patrolling desolate areas along United States borders to today's dynamic work force of over 12,000 men and women supported by sophisticated technology, vehicles, aircraft and other equipment.

The priority mission of the United States Border Patrol is preventing terrorists and terrorist's weapons, including weapons of mass effect, from entering the United States.

The Border Patrol is specifically responsible for patrolling nearly 6,000 miles of Mexican and Canadian international land borders and over 2,000 miles of coastal waters surrounding the Florida Peninsula and the island of Puerto Rico. Agents work around the clock on assignments, in all types of terrain and weather conditions.

Customs and Border Protection - Office of Field Operations

CBP Field Operations consists of all the personnel that work at the 310 land, air, and sea ports of entry in the United States. The primary mission is to keep terrorists and terrorist weapons out of the country. Additionally, the Office of Field Operations makes determinations about the admissibility of all visitors to the U.S, inspect baggage and cargo for agricultural pests, and searches for contraband such as narcotics, weapons, and concealed currency.

Immigration and Customs Enforcement

Created in March 2003, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) is the largest investigative agency within the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS). The agency was created after 9/11, by combining the law enforcement arms of the former Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS) and the former U.S. Customs Service, to more effectively enforce the U.S. immigration and customs laws. ICE is responsible for investigating a range of issues that may threaten national security and fulfills its mission by identifying and investigating criminal activities and eliminating vulnerabilities that pose a threat to the United States borders, as well as enforcing economic, transportation and infrastructure security. ICE agents have border search authority and Attaché offices placed strategically around the world to support its investigations.