The Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA) is a law-enforcement agency within the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), the border control agency responsible for frontline border control operations at air, sea and rail ports in Singapore.
ICA was formed on 1 April 2003 after the restructuring of the preceding agencies responsible for customs and immigration control, the Singapore Immigration and Registration (SIR) and the Customs and Excise Department (CED). It is accountable directly to the MHA, which is under the purview of the Government of Singapore and its relevant ministers.
Its responsibilities include immigration and customs controls and the screening of passengers, freight and port staff at the country's rail, air and sea ports, as well as dozens of smaller airstrips, ports and marinas. In addition, their duties also include counter-terrorism, part of which is to detect and deter the illicit importation of radioactive and nuclear material by terrorists or criminals.
Organization
Overview
ICA oversees most immigration and identification related matters in Singapore. At its Kallang Road headquarters, services are provided from "cradle to grave", starting from birth registration to the issuance of identity cards and finally to the registering of deaths. ICA also carries out its border control duties on both goods and people at most ports of entries in Singapore.
Legal Powers
Civil servants in ICA employed under the Home Affairs Services scheme (legally defined as "immigration officers") primarily enforce the Immigration Act (Cap 133) and the Passports Act (Cap 220). ICA also enforces the National Registration Act (Cap 201).
Immigration officers can prohibit entry to any person or class of persons for any reason related to the conditions of Singapore. Since 2018, immigration officers have policing powers of search and arrest within the checkpoints and in their immediate vicinity. Under the Integrated Checkpoints Command (ICC) concept, ICA is ultimately responsible for border security at Singapore's checkpoints.
ICA issues different passes to facilitate the entry of aliens arriving in Singapore, such as the Visit Pass, Landing Pass or the Dependent's Pass.
ICA officers deployed as cargo and baggage examination officers are empowered under the Customs Act (Cap 70) to search people and conveyances at all ports of entry in Singapore. They can then seize any controlled items or contraband found before referring them to the appropriate Controlling Agency such as Singapore Customs or the Central Narcotics Bureau (CNB). The most common contraband are duty-unpaid cigarettes and tobacco products due to the high duties imposed on them. Other examples include narcotics, replica firearms, wild animals and unlicensed medicine.
Immigration enforcement
Immigration offenders are referred to ICA's Enforcement Division (ED) which oversees investigation, prosecution and repatriation matters. Investigation officers will investigate potential offences, interview suspects and witnesses and share information with other agencies if necessary. Prosecution officers from ICA work together with deputy public prosecutors at the Attorney-General's Chambers to ensure that offenders are lawfully detained and given trial. Examples of common offences include the harbouring of immigration offenders, employing immigrants illegally or entering marriages of convenience. Home owners who have been found guilty of renting their houses to immigration offenders and not carrying out one or more of the mandatory checks may be sentenced to a jail term, fine or both.
Counter-terrorism
ICA is Singapore's first line of defence against potential terrorist threats by restricting the movement of security sensitive persons across international borders. ICA also works closely with other agencies such as the Police and ISD to prevent terrorist attacks from occurring in Singapore. After the escape of Mas Selamat in 2008, all checkpoints immediately stepped up security checks. During the lead-up to the 2018 Trump-Kim Summit, Home Affairs Minister K. Shanmugam revealed that four people had been turned away at the checkpoints for terrorism related reasons.
ICA is part of the Inter-Agency Coordination Group within the Republic of Singapore Navy's Maritime Security Task Force. ICA participated in the 2011 Exercise Northstar, in which immigration officers boarded ships to check for immigration offenders, firearms and explosives. ICA also participated in the 2013 Exercise Highcrest which simulated terrorist attacks on one of Singapore's checkpoints.