United States of America: Activities of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) in Michigan (1998 - June 1999)
| Publisher | Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada |
| Author | Research Directorate, Immigration and Refugee Board, Canada |
| Publication Date | 1 June 1999 |
| Citation / Document Symbol | USA32022.E |
| Cite as | Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada, United States of America: Activities of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) in Michigan (1998 - June 1999), 1 June 1999, USA32022.E, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/3ae6ac1a58.html [accessed 1 June 2023] |
| Disclaimer | This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. |
According to the World Encyclopedia of Police Forces and Penal Systems the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is "the best-known and most powerful law-enforcement agency in the United States [and] is the principal investigative arm of the Department of Justice. Although its functions and objectives are defined by law, there are few criminal areas beyond its purview" (1989, 423).
According to the Website of the FBI, the organization:
is a field-oriented organization in which nine divisions and four offices at FBI Headquarters (FBIHQ) in Washington, D.C., provide program direction and support services to 56 field offices, approximately 400 satellite offices known as resident agencies, four specialized field installations, and thirty-two foreign liaison posts (n.d.(a)).
The Mission of the FBI is to uphold the law through the investigation of violations of federal criminal law; to protect the United States from foreign intelligence and terrorist activities; to provide leadership and law enforcement assistance to federal, state, local, and international agencies; and to perform these responsibilities in a manner that is responsive to the needs of the public and is faithful to the Constitution of the United States.
... Title 28, United States Code (U.S. Code), Section 533, which authorizes the Attorney General to "appoint officials to detect...crimes against the United States," and other federal statutes give the FBI the authority and responsibility to investigate specific crimes. At present, the FBI has investigative jurisdiction over violations of more than 200 categories of federal crimes.
The Bureau also is authorized to investigate matters where no prosecution is contemplated. For example, under the authority of several Executive Orders, the FBI conducts background security checks concerning nominees to sensitive government positions. In addition, the FBI has been directed or authorized by Presidential statements or directives to obtain information about activities jeopardizing the security of the Nation.
Information obtained through an FBI investigation is presented to the appropriate U.S. Attorney or DOJ official, who decides if prosecution, or other action, is warranted. Top priority has been assigned to the five areas that affect society the most: counterterrorism, drugs/organized crime, foreign counterintelligence, violent crimes, and financial crimes.
The FBI also is authorized to provide other law enforcement agencies with cooperative services, such as fingerprint identification, laboratory examinations, police training, Uniform Crime Reports, and the National Crime Information Center (n.d.(b)).
In addition to the five areas of investigation identified above as priorities, as well as "conducting background security checks," the FBI also has responsibility for investigating violations of civil rights laws (n.d.(c)). Please see the attached document for additional examples of FBI investigative responsibilities.
A Professor of History at Marquette University, who has published a wide range of works on the subject of the FBI, stated in a 16 June 1999 telephone interview that the organization is a national police force. As such, its mandate is set at the national level. However, the professor also said that the activities of each field office, in pursuit of this mandate, vary somewhat. He said that the range of activities in these field offices, reflects the nature of the activity in the region in which the field office is located. As an example, he said that labour racketeering could be a priority in the Detroit Field Office.
The Chief Division Counsel of the FBI's Detroit office stated during a 21 June 1999 telephone interview that the organization "does not disclose" the investigative priorities of its field offices, but did confirm that the five national priorities of the FBI that were judged to affect society the most are, in no order of ranking: counter-terrorism, drugs/organized crime, foreign counter-terrorism, violent crimes and white-collar crimes.
This Response was prepared after researching publicly accessible information currently available to the Research Directorate within time constraints. This Response is not, and does not purport to be, conclusive as to the merit of any particular claim to refugee status or asylum.
References
Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). n.d. (a). "Organizational Structure." [Internet]
_____. n.d. (b). "FBI Mission Statement." [Internet]
_____. n.d. (c). "FBI Investigative Responsibilities." [Internet]
Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). 21 June 1999. Telephone interview with Chief Division Counsel.
Marquette University, Milwaukee Wisconsin. 16 June 1999. Telephone interview with Professor of History.
World Encyclopedia of Police Forces and Penal Systems. 1989. Edited by George Thomas Kurian. New York: Facts on File Publications.
Attachment
Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). n.d. "FBI Investigative Responsibilities." 2 pp. [Internet]
