U.S. Department of Homeland Security Office of the Inspector General

Summary

The DHS OIG is a presidentially appointed (PAS) inspector general with statutory authority under 5 U.S.C. §417 to audit and investigate all DHS components, including ICE, CBP, USSS, and USCIS. Under §417, the Secretary of Homeland Security may prohibit the OIG from completing any audit, investigation, or subpoena involving intelligence, counterintelligence, ongoing criminal proceedings, or matters threatening national security—creating a restricted-access regime. For use-of-force matters, each component's Office of Professional Responsibility reports officer-involved deaths and serious misconduct to the OIG, yielding a joint co-investigation model rather than fully independent OIG investigation.