Department of Homeland Security
Immigration and Customs Enforcement (I.C.E.)
Office of International Affairs
Mission
The Office of International Affairs (OIA) is the overseas investigative arm of the Department of Homeland Security's Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). OIA works closely with all elements of ICE, and serves as a key component in the President’s international crime control strategy.
Roles and Responsibilities
ICE's Office of International Affairs provides operational and programmatic management of ICE attachés at foreign embassies and consulates worldwide; OIA also coordinates and supports foreign investigative activities of ICE.
ICE work with foreign counterparts in combating transnational crimes involving national security, financial, smuggling, illegal arms exports, forced child labor, child pornography, human trafficking, intellectual property rights, commercial and immigration fraud violations.
ICE assists host-country counterparts in the development and implementation of legislation and regulations; provides training to foreign officials; responds to government and public requests for trade, travel and business information; supports the implementation of treaties, agreements and international cooperative programs.
Acquiring and developing intelligence related to cross-border criminal activity is also important to OIA's mission
Specific Functions
ICE offices are multi-disciplined, consisting of Special Agents, Detention and Removal Officers, Intelligence Analysts and Administrative Support staff. The ICE Attaché is responsible for the investigation and enforcement, both criminal and civil, of violations involving Titles 8,18,19, 22, 31,49 and 50 of the United States Code (to include enforcement of laws via memorandum of Understanding for U.S. Secret Service, Department of Commerce, ATF, Department of State, Consumer Protection & Safety Commission, etc.), and any other matter as directed by the DHS Secretary.
These areas of responsibility are traditionally thought of in terms of:
Alien smuggling and human trafficking
Contraband smuggling (imported and exported merchandise)
Money laundering violations, including bulk cash smuggling, hawalas, Black Market currency exchange and traditional money laundering schemes
Illegal export or diversion of controlled U.S. technology
Illegal export/import of conventional weapons
Illegal export/import of military equipment and WMD related technology
Trade fraud violations, including Intellectual Property Rights, tobacco smuggling, forced child labor, prison labor, quota evasions, textile trans-shipment, anti-dumping duty evasions and other traditional customs fraud schemes
Illegal import/export of cultural property, stolen artwork and other items
Child pornography, sex tourism and child exploitation
Prime Bank Instrument fraud
Document and benefit fraud
Facilitation of repatriations
International fugitive investigations
Extradition of criminal suspects to the United states
Genocide and human rights investigations
Investigations of document counterfeiters/printers overseas
Interdiction operations at foreign airports
Extra-territorial prosecution for violations against the United States
Repatriations of third country fugitives
Intelligence collection
ICE is also responsible for enforcement of health, and safety issues, including tainted or prohibited foodstuffs, unsafe toys and consumer products. They coordinate with foreign counterparts the sharing of information under bilateral agreements and Mutual Legal Assistance Agreements and coordinate the establishment of foreign vetted units working with ICE to expand criminal investigations and prosecutions in areas such as money laundering and alien trafficking/smuggling.
The Office of the ICE Attaché cultivates and maintains close liaison with local law enforcement, intelligence, regulatory and trade representatives and organizations throughout their geographic area of responsibility. The Kingston ICE Office is currently responsible for Jamaica and the Cayman Islands.
Additionally, the Kingston ICE Office initiates, oversees and is the primary contact for several Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and Customs and Border Protection (CBP) security programs including the Container Security Initiative (CSI), Customs Trade Partnership Against Terrorism (C-TPAT), BASC and FAST. This includes being the primary overseas points of contact for the importing and exporting communities, responding to questions about importing regulations and providing outreach and information on various programs, including the Bio-Terrorism Act and the African Growth and Opportunity Act.
Address:
US Embassy
142 Old Hope Road
Kingston 6
Kingston, Jamaica W.I.
Office Telephone: (876) 702-6731
Office Fax: (876) 702-6666
Email: ICEKingston@state.gov
Other Links
Transportation Letter
Permanent Resident Cards (commonly known as green cards, Form I-551 or Alien Registration Cards) can only be issued or replaced inside the United States by the Department of Homeland Security, Citizenship and Immigration Services. No DHS office outside the U.S. can issue replacements. If you left your green card in the United States, you should ask friends or relatives to send it to you by express mail. If you have been outside of the United States for over one year, you are not eligible for a transportation letter. You will need to apply for non-immigrant visa or re-apply for Permanent Resident Status. You should contact DHS/CIS, Citizenship and Immigration Services.
If you lost your green card, if your green card is expired or if you never received your green card, DHS-Kingston may be able to issue you a transportation letter to permit you to return to the United States. In order to issue such a letter, DHS must confirm your resident alien status.
You will need to apply for a transportation letter via email: ICEKingston@state.gov Once you have completed the application process individuals will be seen by appointment.
When our office receives your email request, ICE representative will respond by sending you an application form and guidelines for completing the form and listing the supporting documents that you will need to submit. You will then to submit your full and complete application via email. The processing time for transportation letter applications is approximately two weeks (ten business days). After adjudication of your application package, an ICE representative will call you to arrange an in-person interview. Provided that all documents are valid and presented to the representative at the time of appointment, the transportation letter will be issued at the conclusion of the interview.
There is no fee for service. Interviews will be held at the U.S. Embassy, 142 Old Hope Road, Kingston 6 and are by appointment only.
To avoid delays in interviews and issuance, be sure to bring all ORIGINAL documentation and information listed on the application checklists below. Do not call for an appointment. All correspondence should be directed to our office via email.
Lost/Stolen Green Cards
If your Green Card was lost or stolen while abroad you should provide the following documents and information for issuance of a Transportation Letter:
• Completed Application
• Police report detailing the loss/theft of applicant’s green card; if you have reason to believe that your Permanent Resident Card was lost or stolen in the U.S., please provide us with a copy of your Incident/Property report and evidence that you filed for a replacement card PRIOR to leaving the United States.
• Your Alien Registration Receipt Card number.
• Three passport style photographs of the applicant. Photos must have a white background, be glossy and cannot be retouched. They cannot be larger than 2x2 inches and must have been taken within the last 30 days.
• A valid passport; if you traveled on a passport which has since expired, you will need to bring that as well. You must have a valid machine Readable Passport from your country of Birth or citizenship. Submit the Biographical page via email and be prepared to provide your passport at the interview.
• Proof of date of last departure from the United States,
• Copy of Military/Government orders if applicant is a dependent of a U.S. government employee.
Green Card Not Received
If you are a resident of the United States but have not yet received your green card you should provide the following documents and information:
• Completed Application
• Your receipt for Notification of Action or receipt for replacement of Permanent Resident Card
• Your Alien Registration Receipt Card number.
• Your valid passport; if you traveled on an expired passport bring the expired passport as well. You must have a valid machine Readable Passport from your country of Birth or citizenship. Submit the Biographical page via email and be prepared to submit the passport at the interview.
• Three passport style photographs of the applicant. Photos must have a white background, be glossy and cannot be retouched. They cannot be larger than 2x2 inches and must have been taken within the last 30 days.
• Proof of date of last departure from the United States,
• Copy of valid temporary travel authorization
• Copy of Military/Government orders if applicant is a dependent of a U.S. government employee.
Expired Green Card
If you are a Legal Permanent Resident with an expired 10-year green card, which is not damaged or displaying a “baby” photo, you may travel to the United States with your expired card. Please email a copy of your expired card to our office and our office will issue appropriate documentation to you. If you are a conditional resident with an expired 2-year card you will require a transportation letter. To apply for a transportation letter you should provide the following documents and information:
• Completed Application
• Your Alien Registration Receipt Card number.
• Three passport style photographs of the applicant. Photos must have a white background, be glossy and cannot be retouched. They cannot be larger than 2x2 inches and must have been taken within the last 30 days.
• Proof of date of last departure from the United States,
• Applicant’s valid passport; if you traveled on a passport which has since expired, you will need to provide the expired passport as well. You must have a valid machine Readable Passport from your country of Birth or citizenship.
• Letter of explanation for traveling without a valid green card
• Copy of Military/Government orders if applicant is a dependent of a U.S. government employee.
LPR Child Born Abroad
Immigration law allows a transportation letter to be issued to a child born after issuance of an immigrant visa to his or her accompanying mother, or to a child born during the temporary visit abroad of a mother who is a lawful permanent resident of the United States, provided that: the child’s application for admission to the United States is made within 2 years of birth; the child is accompanied by either parent who is applying for readmission as a permanent resident upon the first return of that parent to the United States after the birth of the child; and his/her accompanying parent is found to be admissible to the United States.
The following documents must be provided for issuance of a Transportation Letter:
• Completed Application For child
• Mother’s Alien Registration Receipt Card number.
• Obstetrician medical certificate
• Three passport style photographs of the applicant. Photos must have a white background, be glossy and cannot be retouched. They cannot be larger than 2x2 inches and must have been taken within the last 30 days.
• Proof of date of last departure from the United States, to include mother’s passport; if mother’s passport has since expired, you will be required to provide the expired passport and a valid passport
• The child’s passport, a valid machine Readable Passport from your country of Birth or citizenship
• Child’s birth certificate
For any other transportation letter inquiries, please e-mail us at ICEKingston@state.gov or call us at (876)702-6137.
Voluntary Departures
An alien, who was granted voluntary departure from the United States, is requested to report his/her departure status to Department of Homeland Security-Immigration and Customs Enforcement (DHS-ICE) representative.
To apply for verification of voluntary departure, you will need to arrange an appointment with an ICE representative. Appointments may be made by emailing: ICEKingston@state.gov You will need to email copies of the following documents and bring the ORIGNIAL documents to this appointment:
• G-146 Form, Voluntary Departure Order
• Copies of your passport including entry/exit stamped page.
• Airline issued boarding pass or flight ticket when you left the U.S.
• Phone number for contact
The normal processing time for departure verification is one (1) week (five working days) or longer.
Should you have any question for this, please do not hesitate to contact an ICE representative, telephone number (876) 702-6731
Recording departure from the United States after the fact (Returning I-94 forms)
If you returned home with your Department of Homeland Security Form I-94 (white) or Form I-94W (green) Departure Record in your passport, it means that your departure was not recorded properly. It is your responsibility to correct this record. You must provide U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) sufficient information so we can record your timely departure from the United States. This will close out your earlier record of arrival to this country. If you do not validate a timely departure from the United States, or, if you cannot reasonably prove otherwise when you apply for admission to the U.S. in the future, CBP may conclude you remained in the U.S. beyond your authorized stay. If this happens, the next time you apply to enter the U.S. your visa may be subject to
cancellation or you may be returned immediately to your foreign point of origin. In particular, visitors who remain beyond their permitted stay in the United States under the Visa Waiver Program cannot reenter the U.S. in the future without obtaining a visa from a U.S. Consulate. If this occurs and you arrive at a U.S. port-of-entry seeking admission under the Visa Waiver Program without a visa, CBP Officers may order your immediate return to a foreign point of origin. If you failed to turn in your I-94 Departure Record, please send it, along with any
documentation that proves you left the United States to:
ACS - CBP SBU
1084 South Laurel Road
London, KY 40744
Do not mail your Form I-94 Departure Record or supporting information to any U.S. Consulate or Embassy, to any other CBP office in the United States, or to any address other than the one above. Only at this location are we able to make the necessary corrections to CBP records to prevent inconvenience to you in the future. To validate departure, CBP will consider a variety of information, including but not limited to:
Original boarding passes you used to depart the United States;
Photocopies of entry or departure stamps in your passport indicating entry to another country after you departed the United States (you should copy all passport pages that are not completely blank, and include the biographical page containing your photograph); and
Photocopies of other supporting evidence, such as:
Dated pay slips or vouchers from your employer to indicate you worked in another country after you departed the United States,
Dated bank records showing transactions to indicate you were in another country after you left the United States,
School records showing attendance at a school outside the United States to indicate you were in another country after you left the United States, and
Dated credit card receipts, showing your name, but, the credit card number deleted, for purchases made after you left the United States to indicate you were in another country after leaving the United States.
To assist us in understanding the situation and correct your records quickly, please include an explanation letter in English. Your statement will not be acceptable without supporting evidence such as noted above. You must mail legible copies or original materials where possible. If you send original materials, you should retain a copy. CBP
cannot return original materials after processing. We strongly urge you to keep a copy of what you send to ACS-CBP and carry it with you the next time you come to the United States in case the CBP officer has any
questions about your eligibility to enter. If taking short trips (30 days or less) to Canada, Mexico, or the Caribbean Islands during the course of your visit to the U.S., hold onto your I-94 or I-94 (W). It should only be turned in when you leave the U.S. to return home. Delays beyond the traveler's control, such as cancelled or delayed flights, medical emergencies requiring a doctor's care, etc. are not considered unauthorized overstays, however, you will need to bring proof of the cause of your overstay next time you travel to the U.S. in order for it to be forgiven. For airline delays, ask the airline for a letter affirming the delay or a copy of your cancelled boarding pass.
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