Homeland Security Act creates DHS, abolishes INS, and establishes ICE

President George W. Bush signed the Homeland Security Act of 2002, creating the Department of Homeland Security as a new cabinet-level agency by absorbing 22 federal entities. The Act abolished the Immigration and Naturalization Service effective March 1, 2003, distributing its functions to three new agencies: ICE for interior enforcement, CBP for border security, and USCIS for immigration services. By placing immigration enforcement inside a national security department rather than DOJ, Congress fundamentally reframed unauthorized immigration as a security threat.