U.S. Customs & Border Protection

U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), a bureau of the United States Department of Homeland Security, is charged with regulating and facilitating international trade, collecting import duties, and enforcing U.S. trade laws.

Its other primary mission consists of preventing terrorists and terrorist weapons from entering the United States. CBP also is responsible for apprehending individuals attempting to enter the United States illegally, stemming the flow of illegal drugs and other contraband; protecting the United States agricultural and economic interests from harmful pests and diseases; and protecting American businesses from theft of their intellectual property.

To accomplish its missions, Customs and Border Protection has a workforce of over 40,000 employees, including Officers, canine enforcement officers, Border Patrol agents, aircraft pilots, trade specialists, and mission support staff. Presently there are 317 officially designated ports of entry and an additional 14 pre-clearance locations in Canada, Ireland and the Caribbean. CBP is also in charge of the Container Security Initiative, which indentifies and inspects foreign cargo in its mother country before it is to be imported into the United States.

Mission

Within the Department of Homeland Security, the CBP protects the Borders of the United States from terrorism, human and drug smuggling, illegal immigration, and agricultural pests while simultaneously facilitating the flow of legitimate travel and trade.

As the nation’s single unified border agency, CBP’s mission is vitally important for the protection of the American people and the national economy. Nearly 44,000 CBP employees work in a variety of ways to secure the nation’s borders both at and between the official ports of entry and also to extend the zone of security.

SBInet Program

The underlying framework for securing the borders is based on strategic plans crafted for the breadth and depth of CBP employees and their unique missions. It is also based on initiatives such as the Secure Border Initiative’s SBInet program. Through SBInet, private industry provides a border control solution based on the optimal mix of personnel, infrastructure, and technology. As a result, CBP employees prevent terrorists and their weapons from entering the United States while continuing their mission of:

1. Apprehending people who illegally attempt to enter the United States,;
2. Seizing illegal drugs and other contraband; and
3. Protecting United States agriculture from harmful pests and diseases.

While carrying out its priority anti-terrorism mission, CBP must also work to facilitate the movement of legitimate trade and travelers, as the agency processes all people, vehicles and cargo entering the United States. On a typical day in fiscal year 2006, CBP processed approximately 1 million passengers and pedestrians; 71,000 containers; 327,000 privately owned vehicles; and 85,000 shipments of goods approved for entry.

Facilitate Movement

CBP screens all travelers entering the United States using a risk-based approach. Automated advance data combined with intelligence and new biometric travel documents are tools that facilitate travel while keeping our borders safe. In addition, CBP has established expedited traveler programs that facilitate the entry process for frequent travelers who have undergone prior screening of their biographical and biometric data.

The agency also seeks to protect the nation from illegitimate international travel. Therefore, CBP recently established the Office of Alien Smuggling Interdiction, as a means of fighting human trafficking and smuggling.

Facilitate Trade

Trade and tariff laws are enforced by CBP import and entry specialists and other trade compliance personnel. This helps to ensure that industry operates in a fair and competitive trade environment. Trade-related activities include:

1. Protecting U.S. businesses from theft of intellectual property and unfair trade practices;
2. Collecting import duties, taxes and fees;
3. Enforcing trade laws related to admissibility;
4. Regulating trade practices to collect the appropriate revenue;
5. Maintaining export controls; and
6. Protecting U.S. agricultural resources via inspection activities at the ports of entry.

The agency also maintains an aggressive and comprehensive intellectual property rights (IPR) enforcement program that devotes substantial resources to combating trade in counterfeit goods at United States borders and around the world.  CBP further facilitates trade through partnership programs such as Importer Self-Assessment as well as account management, which helps frontline personnel facilitate the movement of legitimate, compliant trade and allows them to focus on those shipments that may present a risk to the United States.

Border Security

CBP is responsible for guarding 7,000 miles of land border the United States shares with Canada and Mexico and 2,000 miles of coastal waters surrounding the Florida peninsula and off the coast of Southern California. The agency also protects 95,000 miles of maritime border in partnership with the United States Coast Guard.

To secure this vast terrain, more than 13,000 CBP Border Patrol agents and CBP Air and Marine agents, and approximately 20,000 CBP officers and agriculture specialists, together with the nation’s largest law enforcement canine program, stand guard along America’s front line.  CBP officers protect America’s borders at official ports of entry, while CBP’s Border Patrol agents prevent illegal entry into the United States of people and contraband between the ports of entry.  CBP Air and Marine, which manages the largest law enforcement air force in the world, patrols the nation’s land and sea borders to stop terrorists and drug smugglers before they enter the United States.  CBP agriculture specialists prevent the entry of exotic plant and animal pests, and confront emerging threats in agro- and bioterrorism.

Defending Border Internationally

Moreover, CBP is partnering with foreign countries to expand America’s zone of security, promoting government and private-sector partnerships that permit screening of cargo and people beyond United States borders.

As part of the Container Security Initiative, CBP officers pre-screen shipping containers at major international seaports to keep terrorist weapons and other contraband from entering the United States.

Under the Customs - Trade Partnership against Terrorism, importers who meet certain security standards are provided expedited processing benefits, enabling CBP to facilitate legitimate trade while focusing resources on unknown or high-risk shipments.

As part of the Immigration Advisory Program, CBP officers at major foreign airports monitor boarding for U.S.-bound flights to prevent criminal aliens from arriving in the United States, and to advise and assist the air carriers on matters related to U.S. Entry Requirements.

Through the Carrier Liaison Program (CLP), CBP partners with transportation carriers to fight illegal migration. CLP provides carrier staff with training classes that include lessons in document requirements for entry to the United States and how to detect fraud.

CBP also shares its expertise to build the capacity of counterpart border control agencies to undertake enforcement measures that improve the security of trade and travel worldwide. Moreover, agency attachés and representatives staff embassies overseas to assist in building support for and compliance with CBP programs.

Focus on High Risk Activities & Individuals

The agency gathers advance data regarding incoming and outgoing people, conveyances and goods to focus its law enforcement resources on high-risk individuals and items. The agency also uses technology, such as non-intrusive inspection devices, to make the most of its resources.

Further, CBP established the National Targeting Center (NTC) in October 2001 as an anti-terrorism tool, consolidating and analyzing information across several agencies to help prevent further acts of terrorism and national security concerns. The NTC uses automated risk management at a national level to provide tactical targeting expertise to support the nation's anti-terrorism efforts.