The Diplomatic Security Service: On the Front Lines of Transnational Investigations

The Diplomatic Security Service (DSS) is the law enforcement arm of the U.S. Department of State and is charged with investigating illegal passport or visa issuance or use, identity theft, or document fraud that affects the department or the integrity of U.S. travel documents, along with crimes committed overseas in the special maritime or U.S. territorial jurisdiction. Because visa and passport fraud often intertwine with other illegal activities such as document fraud, sex and labor trafficking, terrorism, and money laundering, DSS has worked for decades with U.S. and foreign law enforcement and immigration partners to combat those crimes in the United States and other countries. With 2,000 special agents, hundreds of criminal fraud investigators, and analytic experts working around the world and in 31 U.S. field offices, DSS has on-the-ground relationships with an extensive global network of international law enforcement officials, immigration officers, and governments and agencies around the world, including Europol and Interpol. DSS offers a unique global investigative resource to U.S. law enforcement: a sustained, global presence with the expertise, access, and skill to combat transnational crimes that pose a threat to the United States and those living there.