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"Homeland Security Agent"
There are several law enforcement agencies located within the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) that share branding, which can make identification among the public a bit difficult. This also routinely results in applicants that understandably confuse uniformed officer positions (i.e. 1801) for special agent positions (1811).
Many uniformed law enforcement agencies (ie marked federal police officers) often wear patches or lettering that state "Homeland Security" and are sometimes confusingly referred to by the media as "Homeland Security Agents' since they are indeed "agents" of the federal government. Additionally, 1811's do not exclusively own the term "agent" within the federal law enforcement community and it is entirely appropriate (as well as common practice) for, as an example, federal officers from the United States Probation Office (Judicial Branch) to identify themselves as "federal agents." To make things additionally murky, although Border Patrol Agents are members of a uniform service, they too are "Agents" of the federal government (again, not to be confused with special agents).
The Federal Air Marshals (FAMs) routinely participate in visibility patrols throughout transportation hubs (i.e. airports, train stations, bus stops) and wear branding that states "Department of Homeland Security" & "Police" (See image above). The Federal Protective Service (FPS) and Customs & Border Protection (CBP) also have this "DHS" type branding throughout their uniforms. These are not special agents but various types of federal law enforcement officers with DHS.
The primary investigative agency within DHS is Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), which is located within Immigration & Customs Enforcement (See HSI Profile). HSI is primarily composed of special agents that conduct criminal investigations analogous to the Drug Enforcement Administration, Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI), and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco & Firearms (ATF). The second largest 1811 agency within DHS is the U.S. Secret Service (See USSS Profile); which is now primarily focused on Protective Service Operations.
Most of the time, criminal investigations & related arrests featured in the media that involve "Homeland Security Agents" are often a reference to HSI or Homeland Security Investigations. To add to the confusion, many HSI Special Agents routinely wear patches during operations that state "POLICE" & "HSI," in order to ensure they are readily recognized as law enforcement.
Now, if the referenced agency is a uniformed law enforcement entity, it can be any number of agencies (i.e. CBP, FPS, etc.). Figuring out who is who involves knowing their core mission. For example, if the incident involved damage to federal buildings, FPS is likely the "Homeland Security" agency being referenced (since they deal with the security of federal facilities).
Not to make things more confusing, but DHS also has a small number of special agents assigned to the Office of Inspector General (OIG), Federal Protective Service (FPS), and even Transportation Security Agency (TSA). These agents typically deal with internal employee misconduct and procurement fraud related cases; and are rarely in the public eye.
The most important takeaway is that "Homeland Security" is not actually the name of a specific agency but has rather become a shorthand reference to several different agencies located within the Department of Homeland Security (DHS).
Clear as mud!
