The dedicated workforce at U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) is ensuring the just return of cultural artifacts to their countries of origin as part of the wide-ranging duties of the Department of Homeland Security.
On Thursday, ICE repatriated five illegally smuggled ancient Egyptian artifacts to the government of Egypt. The artifacts included a nesting sarcophagus, a wooden child’s sarcophagus, and the hand of a mummy dating to the 8th century BCE.
DHS Photo by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement
DHS Photo by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement
DHS Photo by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement
“While we recognize that cultural property, art, and antiquities are assigned a dollar value in the marketplace, the cultural and symbolic worth of these Egyptian treasures far surpasses any monetary value to the people of Egypt,” said ICE Director Sarah R. Saldaña.
DHS Photo by Josh Denmark, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement
That the Egyptian people have recovered these important pieces of their history was made possible by Operation Mummy’s Curse, multi-year investigation by ICE Homeland Security Investigations (HSI).
ICE has returned more than 80 items to Egypt for repatriations since 2007. More than 7,800 artifacts have been returned to over 30 countries over the same period. These have included 19th century masterpiece paintings from France, ancient cultural relics from China, and even a set of dinosaur fossils.
DHS Photo by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement
DHS is in a unique position to save the historical, cultural and artistic property of nations around the world. Federal importation laws give HSI the authority to investigate crimes involving the illicit importation and distribution of stolen artifacts. Customs laws allow HSI to seize cultural property and art that are brought into the United States illegally. In addition, thanks to a partnership with the Smithsonian Museum’s Conservation Institute, ICE agents are specially trained to identify and properly store cultural artifacts – many of which are centuries old.
