Recent statistics for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement are out. And the winner is: Customs. Customs in the eternal infighting between the two responsibilities of ICE. Immigration enforcement is the obvious looser.

Homeland Security Today January 24, 2012

Seizures of Pirated Goods Rose Sharply According to CBP and ICE

By Phil Leggiere

US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) seized 24,792 counterfeit and pirated goods during fiscal year 2011, a 24 percent increase over 2010, according to its annual report Intellectual Property Rights, Fiscal Year 2011 Seizure Statistics.

Despite the significant increase in the number of seizures, the report found, the domestic value for seizures in fiscal year 2011 decreased by five percent to $178.9 million and the manufacturer’s suggested retail price (MSRP) declined slightly to $1.1 billion. CBP and ICE said that this was primarily due to a shift toward using international mail, express courier and consolidated shipping services to import counterfeit and pirated goods.

Protecting America from fake Gucci bags and NFL knockoffs. Rather than search for missing Haitian criminals and terrorists. That is your ICE. And it appears to be the really cheap stuff. Not even high-end knockoffs.

How many more dead Americans before ICE concentrates on the real priorities?