Fact check: ICE was started by Obama

1. Summary of the results

The claim that "ICE was started by Obama" is factually incorrect based on the available evidence. Multiple sources confirm that ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) was created in 2003 during the presidency of George W. Bush, not Barack Obama ^{[1] [2] [3]}. The agency was established as part of the Department of Homeland Security following a major government reorganization to boost national security after the September 11, 2001 terror attacks ^[2].

The analyses consistently contradict the original statement, with sources explicitly stating that ICE began operating in 2003 ^[2] and was created as part of the Department of Homeland Security during the Bush administration ^{[1] [3]}. No sources provided any evidence supporting the claim that Obama founded ICE.

2. Missing context/alternative viewpoints

The original statement omits crucial historical context about ICE's actual origins and the circumstances surrounding its creation. ICE was established as part of a broader national security restructuring following 9/11, not as an Obama administration initiative ^[2].

While Obama did not create ICE, the analyses reveal that his administration was actively involved in immigration enforcement operations. The Obama administration awarded contracts to private prison companies for immigration detention ^[4] and conducted deportation activities ^[5]. This suggests that while Obama inherited ICE from the Bush administration, his administration continued and expanded certain immigration enforcement practices.

The missing context includes the fact that ICE has been a continuous federal agency spanning multiple presidential administrations since 2003, with each administration implementing different enforcement priorities and policies rather than creating new agencies.

3. Potential misinformation/bias in the original statement

The statement contains clear factual misinformation by attributing the creation of ICE to the wrong president and wrong time period. This type of misinformation could serve several purposes:

• Political opponents of Obama might benefit from falsely attributing the creation of a controversial immigration enforcement agency to him, particularly given that his administration was known for high deportation numbers
• Supporters of the Bush administration might benefit from distancing that administration from the creation of ICE, especially given ongoing debates about immigration policy
• Current political figures discussing immigration reform might benefit from misattributing ICE's origins to shift blame or credit depending on their political stance

The statement demonstrates a fundamental misunderstanding or deliberate misrepresentation of basic historical facts about federal agency creation. This type of misinformation can distort public understanding of immigration policy history and prevent informed debate about actual policy decisions made by different administrations.