Homeland Security Investigations (HSI)

Key Officer: Earl Mattear, Attaché

HSI is the principal investigative arm of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, responsible for investigating transnational crime and threats, specifically those criminal organizations that exploit the global infrastructure through which international trade, travel and finance move. HSI’s mission is to investigate, disrupt and dismantle terrorist, transnational and other criminal organizations that threaten or seek to exploit the customs and immigration laws of the United States.

Overview:

HSI has broad legal authority to conduct federal criminal investigations into the illegal cross-border movement of people, goods, money, technology and other contraband throughout the United States. HSI utilizes these authorities to investigate a wide array of transnational crime, including: terrorism; national security threats; narcotics smuggling; transnational gang activity; child exploitation; human smuggling and trafficking; illegal exports of controlled technology and weapons; money laundering; financial fraud and scams; worksite and employment crimes; cybercrime; intellectual property theft and trade fraud; identity and benefit fraud; and human rights violations and war crimes.

In collaboration with its strategic partners in the U.S. and abroad, HSI special agents gather evidence to identify and build criminal cases against Transnational Criminal Organizations (TCOs), terrorist networks and facilitators, and other criminal elements that threaten the United States. HSI works with prosecutors to indict and arrest violators, execute criminal search warrants, seize criminally derived money and assets, and take other actions designed to disrupt and dismantle criminal organizations operating around the world. These efforts protect U.S. national, border, and economic security, and ensure the safety of the public and our communities.

Workforce:

HSI’s workforce consists of more than 10,400 employees, including special agents, criminal analysts, mission support personnel and contract staff assigned to offices throughout the United States and around the world.

Most of HSI’s 7,100 special agents are assigned to one of HSI’s Special Agent in Charge (SAC) offices or multiple sub-offices located in 225 cities across the nation. HSI’s domestic footprint is supplemented by more than 2,800 task force officers representing key strategic federal, state and local partners in the fight to combat transnational criminal organizations.

HSI’s international force is DHS’s largest investigative presence abroad, anchored by special agents assigned to U.S. embassies, consulates and Department of Defense (DOD) combatant commands around the globe. HSI has one of the largest international footprints in U.S. law enforcement.

International Footprint:

HSI has 80 offices located in 53 countries around the world.

HSI’s International Operations Division develops and supports investigations, initiatives and operations conducted or supported by HSI attaché offices and builds relationships with foreign law enforcement partners to support domestic cases, combat transnational criminal organizations and prevent terrorist activities.

International Operations protects the nation’s borders by conducting international law enforcement operations and partnering with foreign and domestic counterparts to detect, deter and dismantle transnational criminal organizations and prevent terrorist activity. International Operations maintains a network of offices and liaisons around the world who conduct investigations against terrorist and other criminal organizations that threaten our national security.

International Operations is the largest international investigative arm of DHS. It interacts with the international law enforcement communities on behalf of ICE to investigate immigration and customs violations. In addition to pursuing and supporting cases in all HSI investigative disciplines, International Operations manages the Visa Security Program (VSP), the Transnational Criminal Investigative Unit Program, the Biometric Identification Transnational Migration Alert Program (BITMAP) and the International Visitors Program. International Operations also delivers international training to foreign partners and supports global law enforcement capacity building efforts. In addition, International Operations supports the efforts of the HSI Trade Transparency Unit (TTU), which enhances HSI’s trade based financial investigations through information sharing agreements with foreign counterparts.

Contact Information:

HSI New Delhi
Embassy of the United States Shantipath, Chanakyapuri,
New Delhi 110021
(+11 hours EST)
Embassy Main Tel: 011-91-11-2419-8000