ICE to be featured on 1-hour TV special

ABC News 20/20 will feature a high-profile case, May. 15 at 10 p.m. (EST), with which U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) was heavily involved. The one-hour special, titled "Go Inside the World of Counterfeit Goods," will reveal recent trends in intellectual property rights violations across the country.

The piece will include seizures of counterfeit autoparts at the port of Miami, which were part of the national IPR Center initiative “Operation Engine-Newity.” This long term operation targets counterfeit automotive, aerospace, rail, and heavy industry related components that are illegally imported and distributed throughout the United States.

The sale of counterfeit components represent a grave threat to public safety due to the critical nature of transportation-related applications and can include such components as airbags, brake pads, steering rods, and bearings. The faulty operation of these devices alone can cause bodily harm such as a counterfeit airbag, but in some cases can result in a catastrophic accident like an air crash or major train derailment.