A letter from the Department of Homeland Security almost always comes from one of its component agencies — USCIS, ICE, CBP, FEMA, or TSA — and the reason usually falls into a handful of categories: a pending immigration application, formal removal proceedings, a customs or border issue, an employment verification question, disaster assistance after a declared emergency, or a trusted traveler program action. Most letters ask for information, notify you of a decision, or warn of a problem you have to address by a deadline. Before you respond to anything, confirm the letter is real. Impersonation scams targeting immigrants and elderly adults are common, and a fake letter can pressure you into paying money or handing over information you should not.
First, Confirm the Letter Is Genuine
The DHS Office of Inspector General has warned that impostors spoof real DHS phone numbers, create email addresses that resemble official ones, and even send images of law enforcement credentials to look legitimate.1Department of Homeland Security. DHS Impersonation Schemes Fraud Alert Typical scams claim you have an immigration violation, an active warrant, a seized package containing drugs, or a stolen identity, then demand payment by wire transfer, gift cards, or cryptocurrency.
A few signals mark a letter or call as fake:
- It demands immediate payment. DHS does not collect money by phone or email, and it never asks for gift cards or cryptocurrency.
- The agency name is wrong. Made-up names like “Department of Customs and Border Security” or “U.S. Immigration Agency” do not exist.
- It threatens on-the-spot arrest or tells you not to speak to anyone. Real DHS correspondence states facts and deadlines.
- The email does not end in .gov. Government email addresses use .gov, though impostors occasionally spoof those too.
If the letter shows a USCIS receipt number (13 characters, starting with three letters), verify it through the USCIS Case Status Online tool.2U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Case Status Online For CBP letters, call the CBP Information Center at 877-227-5511 inside the U.S. or 202-325-8000 from abroad.3U.S. Customs and Border Protection. Contact Us Do not call phone numbers printed on a suspicious letter. Look up the agency’s number yourself through the official website.
Letters About a Pending Immigration Application
The most common source of a DHS letter is USCIS, which handles visa petitions, green card applications, naturalization, and work permits. If you have a case pending, two notices matter most.
A Request for Evidence (RFE) means your application is missing something: a document, translation, photograph, or supporting record. For most application types, you have 84 calendar days to respond. A few forms, including applications to extend or change nonimmigrant status, carry a shorter 30-day window. When USCIS mails the RFE, you get an extra 3 days on top of that deadline for mailing time.4USCIS Policy Manual. Chapter 6 – Evidence Missing the deadline lets USCIS deny the application as abandoned.
A Notice of Intent to Deny (NOID) is more serious. USCIS has reviewed your case, plans to deny it, and is giving you a final chance to submit evidence that could change the outcome. Policy directs officers to issue a NOID whenever additional evidence could plausibly overcome the problem, rather than denying outright.5U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Policy Alert – Requests for Evidence and Notices of Intent to Deny A NOID is not a final denial, but it is your last opening to fix the case.
A Notice to Appear in Immigration Court
A Notice to Appear (NTA) starts formal removal proceedings. It comes from DHS, usually through ICE, and is filed with an immigration court.6Executive Office for Immigration Review. The Notice to Appear The NTA lists factual allegations against you and the legal grounds for removal, such as visa overstay or a criminal conviction. The date of your first hearing may be on the NTA or in a later notice from the court.
Ignoring an NTA is one of the worst things you can do. If you receive proper written notice and fail to appear, the immigration judge can order you removed in absentia, without you being there to argue your side.7Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 8 USC 1229a – Removal Proceedings Undoing that order is hard. You must file a motion to reopen within 180 days and show exceptional circumstances kept you from appearing, or prove you never received proper notice.
If you move while proceedings are pending, report the new address within 10 days using USCIS Form AR-11.8USCIS. Alien’s Change of Address Card – Form AR-11 Filing that form with USCIS does not update your address with the immigration court. You have to notify the court separately, or hearing notices will go to the wrong place and you will lose the argument that you never received them.
You have the right to hire an attorney for removal proceedings, but the government will not provide one. DHS is required to include a list of free or low-cost legal service providers with the NTA, organized by state and immigration court.9Department of Justice. List of Pro Bono Legal Service Providers Detained individuals can reach the American Bar Association’s detention information hotline at (202) 442-3363.
Customs and Border Letters
Letters from CBP usually involve one of three situations: a question about items you brought into the country, a notice that property has been seized, or a screening issue tied to your identity.
Declarations and Duties
Returning U.S. residents can bring back up to $800 in goods duty-free, or $1,600 from certain U.S. territories such as the Virgin Islands or Guam.10eCFR. 19 CFR Part 148 Subpart D – Exemptions for Returning Residents If CBP thinks you undervalued items or failed to declare something, you may get a letter asking for documentation about what you brought in and what it cost. Penalties depend on whether the error was negligent, grossly negligent, or fraudulent, and knowingly false statements to a federal agency carry criminal exposure of up to five years under 18 U.S.C. § 1001.11Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 18 USC 1001 – Statements or Entries Generally
Seized Property
When CBP seizes goods, you get a written notice of seizure. For low-value items with no apparent criminal intent, CBP may include an assent to forfeiture form. Signing it means you give up the property, and the items are typically destroyed.12eCFR. 19 CFR 12.40 – Seizure and Disposition of Seized Articles If you believe the seizure was wrong, do not sign. You have the right to contest it.
Repeated Screening at Airports and Borders
If your name or identifying data matches an entry on the federal terrorism watchlist, you may face extra screening at airports and border crossings. The FBI’s Threat Screening Center runs the list, which is used by CBP, TSA, and USCIS.13Federal Bureau of Investigation. Threat Screening Center Most people who get flagged repeatedly are not actually on the watchlist. They simply share a name or another data point with someone who is.
The formal fix is the DHS Traveler Redress Inquiry Program (DHS TRIP). You submit an online application describing the incidents and attach identification. DHS reviews the case and, when appropriate, assigns a redress control number to reduce future screening problems.14Homeland Security. Step 2 – How to Use DHS TRIP
Employment Verification Letters
DHS correspondence about work usually goes to the worker, the employer, or both.
Workers may receive letters about their Employment Authorization Document (EAD) when information on an application does not match Social Security Administration or DHS records. These letters ask you to explain the discrepancy, and delayed responses can hold up the work permit.
Employers get a different letter: the Notice of Inspection. ICE serves it and requires the employer to produce I-9 forms within at least three business days, along with payroll records, employee lists, and business documents.15U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Form I-9 Inspection Under Immigration and Nationality Act 274A If the audit turns up unauthorized workers, incomplete forms, or a pattern of non-compliance, the employer can face civil fines or criminal charges. Workers sometimes find out about these audits when their employer flags a problem with their records.
The E-Verify system generates its own notices. When it flags a mismatch, the employee gets a Tentative Nonconfirmation and a limited window to contest it. If the worker does not respond, the employer receives a Final Nonconfirmation and must act, often by terminating employment.
FEMA Disaster Assistance Letters
FEMA is part of DHS, so disaster mail arrives under the DHS umbrella.16FEMA. About Us If you applied for individual assistance after a hurricane, wildfire, flood, or other declared disaster, expect several rounds of correspondence.
The first letter is usually an introduction explaining what FEMA can help with. Staff may call within 10 days of your application to schedule a home inspection, and inspectors will never arrive without an appointment.17FEMA. FEMA Home Inspections – What to Expect They try to reach you three times over three different days; if they cannot, the case closes until you contact FEMA again.
About 10 days after the inspection you get a decision letter. Approvals list the amount and what it can be spent on. Denials explain why and include an appeal form.18FEMA. Understanding Your FEMA Letter FEMA also sends follow-up letters requesting additional documents. Ignoring any one of them can stall the whole claim, so open every piece of FEMA mail promptly.
TSA and Trusted Traveler Program Letters
People enrolled in TSA PreCheck, Global Entry, SENTRI, or a similar program may receive written notice that membership has been suspended, revoked, or denied.
TSA PreCheck members undergo ongoing criminal background checks. A new arrest or conviction for a disqualifying offense can trigger suspension. Security violations at the airport, such as bringing a firearm through a checkpoint, making a bomb threat, or interfering with screening, can lead to a suspension of up to five years for a first offense or permanent disqualification for repeat or serious incidents.19Transportation Security Administration. Can I Be Disqualified or Suspended From TSA PreCheck? Temporary suspensions from routine re-vetting are usually resolved within 30 days but can take up to 90.
Global Entry and SENTRI denial or revocation letters come from CBP and give the specific reason. If you believe the decision rests on inaccurate or incomplete information, you can ask for reconsideration through the Trusted Traveler Programs website. Include the date and reason from the letter, your explanation, and court disposition documents for any arrests or convictions, including expunged ones.20U.S. Customs and Border Protection. Trusted Traveler Program Denials
Fraud Investigations
DHS investigates fraud tied to immigration benefits, employment authorization, and customs declarations. These cases are often handled by ICE or by the USCIS Fraud Detection and National Security Directorate (FDNS).21U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Fraud Detection and National Security Directorate
If DHS suspects fraud in a petition it already approved, you may get a Notice of Intent to Revoke (NOIR). A NOIR means DHS plans to revoke the benefit unless you produce evidence to counter the allegation. Common triggers are misrepresentations on the petition or failing to meet the conditions of the original approval.22USCIS. Chapter 6 – Post-Adjudication Actions FDNS also conducts unannounced site visits to verify information in employer-sponsored petitions such as H-1B cases, so an in-person visit is another form of fraud-related DHS contact.
Criminal penalties for immigration document fraud are steep. Under 18 U.S.C. § 1546, using or possessing a forged visa, green card, or other immigration document carries up to 10 years for a first or second offense, up to 20 years if tied to drug trafficking, and up to 25 years if tied to terrorism.23Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 18 USC 1546 – Fraud and Misuse of Visas, Permits, and Other Documents A fraud finding in an immigration case can also result in permanent inadmissibility to the United States, a consequence that often matters more than any prison sentence.
What to Do After Opening the Letter
Whatever agency sent it, the basic steps are the same. Verify it is real: check receipt numbers online, call the agency through its official number, and disregard any letter demanding immediate payment. Read the full letter, including small print about deadlines. Many DHS notices carry strict response windows (84 days for most RFEs, 10 days for address changes, three business days for employer I-9 audits), and missing them can lose the case by default.
If the letter involves removal proceedings, fraud allegations, or revocation of an immigration benefit, talk to an immigration attorney before responding. Legal aid organizations on the EOIR pro bono provider list offer free or reduced-cost help. For less urgent matters such as FEMA follow-ups or trusted traveler program denials, you can often handle the response yourself. Keep copies of everything you send and record the date you mailed or uploaded it.