ICE Response To Katrina Unprecedented

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ICE Response To Katrina Unprecedented

ICE has deployed more than 700 personnel to the Gulf Coast and the city of New Orleans in a unified and unprecedented agency response to Hurricane Katrina, the worst natural disaster in the nationÃ¢â‚¬â„¢s history.

Acting Assistant Secretary John Clark spent three days on the Gulf Coast observing first-hand the hard work and dedication of ICE personnel from around the country who are conducting search and rescue missions, providing security for the FEMA mission, assisting affected ICE and other government employees, and helping local law enforcement restore security to the region.

On Wednesday morning, August 31, Clark declared that relief for the communities devastated by Hurricane Katrina and for those ICE employees affected by this catastrophe was now the agency's number one priority. By September 5, ICE had deployed almost 700 employees from throughout the agency to assist in the hurricane response.

The individuals in the consolidated ICE response force are coming from all parts of the organization. ICE deployed Special Response Teams (tactical law enforcement teams) from El Paso, Buffalo, San Diego, Dallas, Miami, Chicago, and San Antonio. The ICE response includes FPS officers, ICE special agents, Detention and Removal Operations officers, Office of Intelligence analysts, and support personnel.

Ã¢â‚¬Å“We are all saddened by the destruction of property and loss of life that Katrina wrought in the greater Gulf area,Ã¢â‚¬? said Clark. Ã¢â‚¬Å“We can take solace and pride in the superhuman efforts our ICE employees have been tirelessly contributing since the first day of this natural disaster.Ã¢â‚¬?

ICE operations in the hurricane and flood-ravaged City of New Orleans included:

An ICE Office of Investigations Special Response Team equipped for marine operations rescued a 99-year-old woman who had been stuck in her New Orleans home surrounded by four feet of water since Hurricane Katrina hit last week. The woman is the mother of a U.S. Army Lieutenant Colonel currently serving in Iraq.

An ICE Detention and Removal Operations Special Response Team rescued an elderly couple that had been stuck in their flooded New Orleans home for days without food and water.

An ICE Federal Protective Service sergeant was providing security for a FEMA detail when he observed a young man fall roughly 50 feet from a nearby overpass. The victim had been riding a bicycle on the overpass when he struck a wall, flipped over the rail, and fell to the water below. The officer responded and was able to pull him to safety.

ICE Special Response Teams participated in joint law enforcement operations with the New Orleans Police Department and SWAT teams to secure a major housing project known for violence. The operation resulted in the arrest of one subject and the seizure of two firearms. Earlier, ICE Special Response Teams participated in a similar law enforcement operation to secure a bank building.