ICE Returns 26 Ancient Greek Artifacts in 2026 Ceremony

What Happened

ICE's Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) — the federal agency that investigates cross-border crimes — returned 26 ancient artifacts to Greece on April 23, 2026. The handover took place at the Greek Embassy in Washington, DC. The artifacts had been seized by U.S. law enforcement during criminal investigations.

The recovered items include 25 ancient coins from the Greek, Roman, and Byzantine periods, and a 500-pound marble torso of Asclepius, the ancient Greek god of medicine. Federal agencies involved in the recovery include HSI, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, the FBI, and the State Department.

ICE Deputy Director Charles Wall said the agency is proud of its role in returning what he called "invaluable antiquities illicitly plundered from their homeland." Since 2007, HSI has returned more than 200 cultural objects to Greece. Many of those returns were made possible by a bilateral cultural property agreement between the United States and Greece that took effect in 2011.

This work is part of HSI's Cultural Property, Art, and Antiquities (CPAA) program. Since 2007, that program has returned more than 25,000 objects to more than 40 countries around the world. The program also trains federal agents, customs officers, and prosecutors on how to handle stolen cultural property.

What to do

• If you know of stolen cultural property or artifacts being bought or sold illegally in the US, you can report it to HSI through their tip line.
• If you are an immigrant who has been contacted by federal investigators about cultural property, lawyers recommend speaking with an immigration attorney before responding, since any federal investigation can have immigration consequences.
• If you are worried about how a federal investigation could affect your visa, green card application, or immigration status, consult a licensed immigration lawyer as soon as possible.