Exhibit Celebrates 225th Anniversary of U.S. Customs Service: ICE Contributes to Exhibit

"Customs Service and the Golden Gate," a new exhibit at the Maritime Museum, includes information and artifacts on the history of U.S. Customs Service, involving ICE's history. The ICE Foundation's participation in this exhibit is part of the ICE Awareness Initiative. End Quote

San Francisco, CA (1888PressRelease) September 05, 2014 - "Customs Service and the Golden Gate," a new exhibit on the history of the U.S. Customs Service is now open in the Maritime Museum at San Francisco Maritime National Historical Park. The exhibit includes first-person videos, photographs and artifacts on the history of the U.S. Customs Service and its influence nationally and globally, including displays on intercepting smuggling devices, the importance of preventing human trafficking, and the dangers of counterfeit products.

"Having collected artifacts, documents and images from current and retired Customs Officers, we are excited to tell Custom's story to a new generation," said Robert Murtagh, the Foundation's president. "Without the dedication of Customs Officers, the United States would not be the magnificent country it is today. We want everyone to understand the story."

ICE performs all the investigative functions of previous Customs Special Agents. The exhibit highlights the major enforcement issues of today including; fraud, endangered species, drug smuggling and human trafficking.

"The ICE Foundation's participation in this exhibit is part of our ICE Awareness Initiative. The purpose is to educate the public on what ICE does, its legacy and ongoing positive impact on public safety and homeland security," said James Barchiesi, executive director of the ICE Foundation. "This exhibit speaks to the common ancestry upon which ICE and other federal agencies were built."

San Francisco Maritime National Historical Park is located at the west end of Fisherman's Wharf in San Francisco. The park includes historic ships, a visitor's center, Maritime Museum, Aquatic Park Historic District and Maritime Research Center. For more information on the exhibit, www.nps.gov/safr/ and www.customsmuseum.org.

The ICE Foundation is a not-for-profit organization created to honor and support the contributions of the more than 20,000 U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency employees stationed in more than 400 offices in the U.S. and 46 foreign countries. ICE Foundation's Granting Courage initiative focuses on supporting ICE's mission to help our most vulnerable; children affected by exploitation and human trafficking. The program seeks to raise awareness, provide mission support to the agency, and financial support to survivors.

ICE FOUNDATION
8300 Greensboro Drive
Suite 800
McLean, VA 22102
Contact: James Barchiesi
Phone: 202-888-1761

http://www.icefoundation.org

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