Which specific long‑gun models and calibers are authorized for ICE SRTs and HSI teams?
Executive summary
ICE’s publicly available policy materials and reporting show that Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) personnel — including Special Response Teams (SRTs) — are authorized to use agency‑issued and ICE‑approved personally owned long guns such as patrol shotguns, patrol carbines and submachine‑gun platforms, but the precise, exhaustive list of models and calibers authorized at any given time is maintained by the Office of Firearms and Tactical Programs (OFTP) and can be amended [1] [2] [3].
1. What the agency rules say about long guns: an authorization framework, not a fixed shopping list
ICE’s “Authorized Firearms for Homeland Security Investigations” materials and the Firearms and Use of Force Handbook make clear that HSI armed personnel are authorized to utilize specified ICE‑issued shoulder‑fired firearms and may carry ICE‑approved personally owned firearms, while also reserving the authority to amend or rescind the approved list at any time — language that frames weapons policy as an administrative list maintained by OFTP rather than an immutable roster [1] [2].
2. The long‑gun families HSI and SRTs actually use in practice
Open reporting and career summaries of HSI equipment indicate that the unit mix for long guns used operationally typically includes patrol shotguns (commonly the pump‑action Remington Model 870, i.e., 12‑gauge), patrol carbines (commonly Colt M4‑pattern carbines, i.e., 5.56x45mm NATO), and submachine‑gun platforms such as the Heckler & Koch MP5 (9mm), which are cited as weapons HSI agents “often use” in field service descriptions [4]. The SRTs operate as the tactical element for HSI and execute high‑risk warrants and sniper coverage, roles that drive authorization of these classes of long guns [5] [4].
3. Policy nuance: suitability, training, and who decides what is “authorized”
The Firearms and Use of Force Handbook emphasizes that Authorized Officers may only carry firearms “determined to be suitable” by responsible officials and that OFTP and senior HSI/ERO officials have oversight of SRT armament and training, which means specific model and caliber approvals are filtered through internal suitability reviews, training qualification standards, and inventory/training needs rather than purely by public procurement announcements [2].
4. What the public record does not firmly establish about exact models and calibers
The documents and reporting available in the provided sources do not publish a single, comprehensive, up‑to‑date table of every model and caliber currently authorized for SRTs and HSI teams; the PDF referenced as ICE’s authorized firearms list confirms an ICE‑issued shoulder‑fired firearm exists and that the list can change, but the snippet set here does not include the full enumerated model‑by‑model, caliber‑by‑caliber list accessible from OFTP or the full PDF [1] [3]. Therefore, any claim beyond the families noted above would require consulting the full OFTP/authorized firearms list or the ICE document itself.
5. Alternative signals and sidearms debate to avoid conflation
Discussion in forums and secondary reporting about ICE switching pistols (SIG P320 vs. Glock variants) and the caliber of duty pistols illustrates appetite for weapon‑specific reporting but pertains to sidearms rather than long guns; those debates underscore procurement and vendor dynamics but do not substitute for the agency’s internal long‑gun authorization list and should not be conflated with the long‑gun models used by SRTs [6] [7] [8].
6. Bottom line and where to look for definitive, current answers
The supported, sourced bottom line is that HSI/SRTs are authorized to use patrol shotguns (e.g., Remington 870, 12 gauge), patrol carbines (e.g., M4‑pattern, 5.56x45mm NATO) and submachine‑gun platforms (e.g., MP5, 9mm) in operational roles, while the full, authoritative list of approved models and calibers is controlled by OFTP and the ICE authorized firearms document, which the agency can update at any time — consult the OFTP pages and the ICE “Authorized Firearms for HSI” publication for the definitive model‑by‑model authorization [4] [2] [1] [3].