How to Fill Out and Submit the ICE Tip Form Anonymously

The ICE tip form is a free online report at ice.gov/webform/ice-tip-form that lets anyone send information about suspected criminal activity to Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), the investigative arm of the Department of Homeland Security. You can submit it anonymously or with your contact information, and the same report can be made by phone any time at 866-347-2423.1U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. ICE Tip Line

What HSI Investigates

The tip form is meant for activity that falls within HSI’s jurisdiction. According to ICE, that includes:2U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. What We Investigate

  • Human trafficking and human smuggling, including forced labor and sex trafficking
  • Child exploitation, online and offline
  • Narcotics smuggling across borders
  • Money laundering, bulk cash smuggling, and other financial crime
  • Cybercrime, including network intrusions and dark-web marketplaces
  • Intellectual property theft, counterfeit goods, and export violations
  • Identity and benefit fraud, including fraudulent immigration documents
  • Terrorism and national security threats
  • Transnational gangs and weapons trafficking
  • Human rights violations and war crimes
  • Wildlife trafficking and cultural property smuggling
  • Worksite enforcement involving employers who hire unauthorized workers

If you are not sure whether what you saw fits, submit anyway. HSI staff review every submission and route it to the appropriate office, even if the activity turns out to belong to another agency.

What to Gather Before You Start

The value of a tip depends on how specific it is. Before opening the form, pull together whatever you know. You do not need every item below. Report what you have.

  • Suspect details: full names, aliases, physical description (height, weight, hair color, tattoos, scars), and date of birth if known
  • Location: street address, city, and state where the activity happened, or a business name, intersection, or landmark if you do not have an exact address
  • Vehicles: make, model, year, color, and license plate
  • Timeline: specific dates and times, or how often the activity repeats
  • Your firsthand observations: what you saw or heard, in your own words

A tip that says “a white box truck with Texas plates arrives at the warehouse on 4th Street every Tuesday around 2 a.m.” gives investigators something to work with. “Suspicious activity at a building” does not.

Filling Out the Online Form

The form is at ice.gov/webform/ice-tip-form. No login or account is required. It asks you to be as specific and detailed as possible and to include any identifying information that could help investigators.3U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. ICE Tip Form

The narrative section is where you describe the activity in your own words. Stick to what you actually know. If you are guessing about something, say so. Cover the who, what, where, and when. The form itself is text-based, so if you have photos or documents, note that in the narrative. Investigators can collect them later if you have left contact information.

Submitting by Phone

If you prefer to call, or do not have internet access, the ICE Tip Line runs 24 hours a day, seven days a week:1U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. ICE Tip Line

Anonymous calls are accepted. An operator will walk you through the same categories the online form covers. Several staff members speak languages other than English, and all staff have access to interpreter services covering more than 20 languages.1U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. ICE Tip Line

Anonymous Reporting and Privacy

Contact information fields on the form are optional. You can leave them blank and submit anonymously.3U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. ICE Tip Form The trade-off is straightforward: providing your name, phone, or email gives HSI a way to reach you with follow-up questions, which often decides whether a tip goes anywhere. Anonymous tips leave no room to clarify a detail or fill a gap.

If you do provide your information, DHS maintains it under the Privacy Act in a system of records known as LeadTrac.5Department of Homeland Security. System of Records Notices (SORNs) Furnishing personal information is voluntary. The Privacy Act restricts how it is shared, but does not guarantee absolute confidentiality: information may be shared within DHS and, in limited circumstances, with other government agencies for purposes related to the investigation. If a case reaches prosecution, a tipster’s identity could come up in legal proceedings, though that is rare for people who are not also witnesses.

What Happens After You Submit

HSI reviews every tip and assesses whether it connects to a current investigation or warrants a new one. Do not expect a callback or a status update. ICE does not provide feedback to tipsters on how a report is being handled.6U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. USCIS Tip Form

Some tips lead to immediate action. Others become one piece of a much larger case that agents build over months or years. Even without a visible result, your report may have filled a critical gap. If you later learn more about the same activity, submit a new tip that references the original details so investigators can link them.

If You Are a Victim Afraid to Report

People who are themselves victims of trafficking or other serious crimes sometimes hold back because of immigration concerns. Two visa categories exist specifically for victims who cooperate with investigations.

T Visa for Trafficking Victims

The T nonimmigrant visa is available to victims of severe forms of human trafficking. To qualify, you must show that you were a victim of trafficking, that you are physically present in the United States because of the trafficking, that you have complied with reasonable requests from law enforcement to help in the investigation or prosecution, and that removal would cause extreme hardship involving unusual and severe harm.7U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Chapter 2 – Eligibility Requirements Victims under 18 at the time of the trafficking do not have to show law enforcement cooperation. You must also be admissible to the United States or qualify for a waiver.

U Visa for Crime Victims

The U nonimmigrant visa covers victims of qualifying crimes, a list that includes trafficking, domestic violence, sexual assault, and other offenses, who have suffered substantial physical or mental abuse and have been helpful to law enforcement investigating or prosecuting the crime.8U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Chapter 2 – Eligibility Requirements for U Nonimmigrant Status A U visa petition requires a law enforcement certification on Form I-918, Supplement B, signed by a law enforcement official, prosecutor, or judge confirming that you were helpful. USCIS will not process a U petition without that certification.

If you are a victim and fear retaliation or deportation, an immigration attorney or a federally funded legal aid organization can help you figure out which protection applies before you file a tip.