Another Side of ICE

Many of us are only familiar only with the "immigration" side of Immigration & Customs Enforcement (ICE), and do not realize the importance of the "customs" side of the agency. Part of ICE's mission is also to investigate the theft or looting of cultural heritage objects and return them to their country of origin. U.S. customs laws permit ICE to confiscate such treasures, after which they work with experts to authenticate and identify them. Examples in 2010 include the return of a gold bookmark once belonging to Adolph Hitler to Spanish Authorities, and as the return of pre-Columbian and Salvadoran Mayan artifacts to Peru and El Salvador respectively. For information on other artifacts restored to their rightful owners and ICE's efforts in this area, see:

http://www.ice.gov/pi/news/factsheets/cultural-artifacts-repatriation.htm

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