The general topic of the testimony is the efforts of the Bureau of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (BICE) to combat the smuggling of aliens into the United States. The creation of the new Department of Homeland Security and the BICE combined legal authorities and investigative tools to counter organized human smuggling and trafficking by investigating and administratively prosecuting immigration violations related to criminal organizations involved in smuggling, transporting, and harboring aliens; money laundering; racketeering violations; human trafficking; and child forced labor provisions. The testimony notes that alien smuggling involves one-time fees paid by or on behalf of migrants to smuggling organizations that promise to smuggle them illegally into the United States. Although the BICE is responsible for countering all types of smuggling of humans, it gives high priority to targeting alien smuggling organizations that present threats to national security. This emphasis recognizes that terrorists and their associates are likely to align themselves with specific alien smuggling networks to obtain undetected entry into the United States. Terrorists and human smugglers are combining their efforts for three reasons: the increasing number and sophistication of criminal organizations, their ability to exploit public corruption, and the weak immigration controls in many source and transit countries. The BICE's global Anti-Smuggling/Human Trafficking Strategy will focus on intelligence-driven investigations against major violators, targeting organizations with ties to countries that support terrorist organizations such as al-Qaeda.