IC Enger | Who You Gonna Call?

The main law enforcement presence in my Book BLUE ICE centers on Homeland Security Special Agents, HSI. These federal special agents represent an arm of Homeland Security called Immigration and Customs Enforcement, or ICE. You may have images in your mind about now of green or brown uniformed agents doing boarder checks, but no. That's not what HSI Special Agents do. Not even close. ICE is divided into two main branches, ERO or Enforcement and Removal Operations, and HSI, or Investigations.

The special agents of HSI are the holders of the broadest scope of authority for law enforcement in the country, and you probably don't know much about them. Operating both inside and outside of the country, HSI has the greatest flexibility of any federal law enforcement agency. They are armed, don't wear uniforms, don't drive marked cars or receive much publicity for their successes, preferring to let other federal agencies take the spotlight. They don't stay by the boarders. If you are detained by HSI, as Goldie Silverman in Blue Ice would say, "They don't need a search warrant and no, you do not get one call."

This description, taken from the official web site, http://www.ice.gov, touches on some of that scope: "ICE is the largest investigative arm of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). ICE Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) protects the United States against terrorist and other criminal organizations who threaten our safety and national security and transnational criminal enterprises who seek to exploit America's legitimate trade, travel, and financial systems. ICE HSI operates out of 70 offices in 47 foreign countries." As one agent said, "No one knows who we are until we get interested in them." Just a few of the threats they can get interested in include security, terrorism, drug smuggling, human trafficking, illegal arms export, financial crimes, and cyber crimes. More than enough to fuel the plots for a dozen mystery books.

So the question, in case anyone from anywhere is plotting against the citizens of the US is, "Who you gonna call?" The answer is Homeland Security Investigations. You can get to know Special Agent Jack Strickland and an ICE Shadow Wolf, Ed Red Wind in BLUE ICE. I would love to see more authors shine a light on this powerful and yet little known branch of Homeland Security. Oh, wait, they don't really want the spotlight. Oops.

The Lake House Mysteries by IC Enger -

BLUE ICE - published by Oak Tree Press, available from Amazon.com

Green Ice - coming soon

Black Ice - coming sooner or later