U.S. Customs and Border Protection

• Commissioner[14]
  • Deputy Commissioner
    • Air and Marine Operations
    • Office of Field Operations
    • Office of Border Patrol
    • Office of Trade
    • Enterprise Services Office
      • Office of Acquisition
      • Office of Finance
      • Office of Human Resources Management
      • Office of Training and Development
      • Office of Information and Technology
    • Operations Support Office
      • Office of Intelligence
      • Office of International Affairs
    • Office of Chief Counsel
    • Office of Congressional Affairs
    • Office of Intergovernmental Public Liaison
    • Office of Privacy and Diversity
    • Office of Professional Responsibility
    • Office of Public Affairs
    • Office of Trade Relations[15]

Section 1592 of the Tariff Act of 1930 is the basic and most widely used customs penalty provision for the importation of goods. It prescribes monetary penalties against any person who imports, attempts to import, or aids or procures the importation of merchandise by means of false or fraudulent documents, statements, omissions or practices, concerning any material fact. Penalties may be applied even in situations where there is no loss of revenue.

Section 1592 infractions are divided into three categories of culpability, each giving rise to a different maximum penalty:

• Fraud, an act or omission done intentionally to defraud the United States. The maximum civil penalty for a violation is the domestic value of the merchandise in the entry or entries concerned.
• Gross negligence, an act or omission with actual knowledge of, or wanton disregard for, the relevant facts and a disregard of section 1592 obligations. The maximum civil penalty is the lesser of the domestic value of the merchandise or four times the loss of revenue (actual or potential). If the infraction does not affect revenue, the maximum penalty is 40% of the dutiable value of the good.
• Negligence, involving a failure to exercise due care in ascertaining the material facts or in ascertaining the obligations under section 1592. The maximum civil penalties are the same for gross negligence, except the lesser of twice the domestic value of the merchandise or twice the loss of revenue is used. The penalty cannot exceed 20% of the dutiable value.

The Customs Modernization Act amended section 1592 to apply existing penalties for false information to information transmitted electronically and allows Customs to recover unpaid taxes and fees resulting from 592 violations. It also introduced the requirement that importers use "reasonable care" in making entry and providing the initial classification and appraisement, establishing a "shared responsibility" between Customs and importers, thus allowing Customs to rely on the accuracy of the information submitted and streamline entry procedures. To the extent that an importer fails to use reasonable care, Customs may impose a penalty.

US Customs Agriculture Specialist Officers are allowed to issue civil penalties in accordance with CFR 7 & 9.

In addition to the civil penalties, a criminal fraud statute provides for sanctions to those presenting false information to customs officers, with violators facing a maximum of 2 years imprisonment, or a $5,000 fine, or both, for each violation involving an importation or attempted importation.[17]

Responding to an urgent need for revenue following the American Revolutionary War, the First United States Congress passed, and President George Washington signed on July 4, the Tariff of 1789, which authorized the collection of duties on imports. Four weeks later, on July 31, the fifth act of Congress established the United States Customs Service and its ports of entry.

For nearly 125 years, the U.S. Customs Service was the primary source of governmental funds, which paid for the nation's early growth and infrastructure.[18] Purchases include the Louisiana and Oregon territories; Florida, Alaska, and Washington, D.C.; funding the National Road and the Transcontinental Railroad; building many of the United States' lighthouses; and the U.S. Military and Naval academies.

In March 2003, the Customs Service was renamed the Bureau of Customs and Border Protection, and its structure split to form parts of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security as the Bureau of Customs and Border Protection and the Immigration and Customs Enforcement Division.

Shortly after the American Civil War, some states started to pass their own immigration laws, which prompted the U.S. Supreme Court to rule in Chy Lung v. Freeman in 1875 that immigration was a federal responsibility.[19] The Immigration Act of 1891 established an Office of the Superintendent of Immigration within the United States Department of the Treasury. This office was responsible for admitting, rejecting, and processing all immigrants seeking admission to the United States and for implementing national immigration policy.[20] "Immigrant inspectors", as they were then called, were stationed at major U.S. ports of entry collecting manifests of arriving passengers. A "head tax" of fifty cents was collected on each immigrant.[21]

In the early 20th century, Congress's primary interest in immigration was protecting American workers and wages – the reason it had become a federal concern in the first place. This made immigration more a matter of commerce than revenue; hence, in 1903, Congress transferred the Bureau of Immigration to the newly created Department of Commerce and Labor.[22]

After World War I, Congress attempted to stem the flow of immigrants, still mainly coming from Europe, by passing laws in 1921 and 1924 limiting the number of newcomers by assigning a quota to each nationality based upon its representation in previous U.S. census figures. Each year, the U.S. State Department issued a limited number of visas; only those immigrants who had obtained them and could present valid visas were permitted entry.

President Franklin D. Roosevelt moved the Immigration and Naturalization Service from the Department of Labor to the Department of Justice in 1940.

In 1969 President Richard Nixon formally changed the name of the bureau from the United States Border Control to the United States Border Patrol.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection Officers (CBPO) armed with UMPs

CBP became an official agency of the United States Department of Homeland Security on March 1, 2003, combining employees from the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (specifically the Plant Protection Quarantine inspectors),[23] the United States Immigration and Naturalization Service (specifically, immigration inspectors and the United States Border Patrol), and the United States Customs Service. This transformation was led by former Commissioner Robert C. Bonner.

W. Ralph Basham was nominated to the post of Commissioner by President George W. Bush on June 6, 2006.[24] Basham had 28 years of experience as a law enforcement manager, including serving as the head of the Secret Service and the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center. He had also served as the chief of staff for the Transportation Security Administration. It is the largest federal law enforcement agency and works closely with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), and Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).

In 2007, the U.S. Border Patrol joined two units, the Border Patrol Tactical Unit (BORTAC) and the Border Patrol Search, Trauma, and Rescue Unit (BORSTAR), to form the U.S. Border Patrol's Special Operations Group (SOG),[25] headquartered in El Paso, Texas. BORTAC and BORSTAR direct their nationally dispersed assets from the SOG, providing the U.S. Border Patrol with immediate tactical and emergency response assets.[26]

On September 13, 2019, Director Troy Miller rang the closing bell at the New York Stock Exchange in honor of 230 years since the beginnings of the CBP.[27]

CBP – Office of Field Operations Shoulder Patch

CBPO's boarding a ship.

CBP officers[28] are federal law enforcement officers in the largest CBP Office of Field Operations empowered to exercise the authority and perform the duties provided by law and Department of Homeland Security regulations, including making arrests, conducting searches, making seizures, bearing firearms, and serving any order or warrant. CBP officers have full law enforcement powers on and off duty. CBP officers defend against terrorist intrusion by identifying high risk individuals who are attempting to enter into the United States; stop criminal activities – such as drug trafficking, child pornography (including on computers, cell phones, and other electronic media), weapons trafficking, and money laundering – by inspecting vehicles and trucks; and prevent the illegal entry of individuals, the smuggling of prohibited goods, and other customs and immigration violations. Officers are armed with Glock G19 pistols chambered in 9mm, expandable batons, x26 Tasers and oleoresin capsicum pepper spray. In accordance with Public Law 110–161, CBP officers are covered under special law enforcement retirement, and all candidates must be referred for selection for this position before reaching their 40th birthday.

Officer candidates attend the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center, in Glynco, Georgia for 17–19 weeks of paid training. Candidate training consists of basic law enforcement skills, including Anti-Terrorism; Detection of Contraband; Interviewing; Cross-cultural Communications; Firearms Handling and Qualification; Immigration and Naturalization Laws; U.S. Customs Export and Import laws, Defensive Tactics and Driving; Crime Investigation Site; Arrest Techniques; Baton Techniques; Examination of cargo, bags, and merchandise; border search exception; Entry and Control Procedures; Passenger Processing; and Officer Safety and Survival. Those candidates selected for duty locations requiring Spanish may receive an additional 6 weeks of Spanish Language training. After a few years of service, qualified Officers may serve on CBP's Special Response Team after passing a pre-test and an additional five weeks of paid training at the U.S. Border Patrol Tactical Unit (BORTAC) in El Paso, Texas.

U.S. CBP Office of Field Operations agent checking the authenticity of a travel document at an international airport using a stereo microscope

CBP Officers may begin their careers in any region for which they apply. The duty region is selected during the application phase. Proficiency in Spanish is a duty requirement only for those stationed along southern border regions, although it is not a requirement before being hired. CBP Officers stationed along southern border regions will undergo Spanish language training before coming on duty.

US and Canadian customs agents

The CBP Officer position is categorized as a "critical-sensitive" position in law enforcement. For this reason, officer candidates must undergo a single scope background investigation (SSBI) before being appointed. In addition, officer candidates must undergo drug and medical examination, polygraph examination, two physical fitness tests, a video based test, and structured interview during the pre-appointment phase.[29]

Agriculture Specialists inspecting flower imports

CBP Agriculture Specialists[30] receive 11 weeks of paid training at the Professional Development Center in Frederick, Maryland as well as a post-academy training phase that varies in length according to their assigned port. Agriculture Specialists are stationed at international ports of entry located at airports, seaports, and land borders throughout the U.S. and along the Canadian and Mexican borders; they are also stationed overseas in various countries authorized by the United States to have the traveling public and agricultural commodities pre-cleared before entering into the United States. They are uniformed federal officers with the authority to conduct random inspections of luggage or items entering the country and the power to seize prohibited or contaminated items. Agricultural Specialists issue civil fines, not to be confused with collecting duty or tax, to both international travelers and commercial entities in accordance with the federal laws CFR 7 & 9; they do not however collect duty taxes. Although Agriculture Specialists work for and are sworn to uphold and enforce the laws governed under the jurisdiction of Customs and Border Protection, they are also tasked with enforcing the laws governed by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the United States Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS). They serve as expert and technical consultants in the areas of inspection, intelligence, analysis, examination and law enforcement activities related to the importation of agricultural and commercial commodities and conveyances at the various ports of entry. Agriculture Specialists apply a wide range of federal, state and local laws and agency regulations, including those of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS), Centers for Disease Control (CDC), and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) when determining the admissibility of agricultural commodities, or commodities in general, while regulating and/or preventing the introduction of restricted or prohibited products, harmful pests, diseases and potential agro-terrorism into the United States. They participate in special enforcement, targeting, and analysis teams charged with collecting and analyzing information and identifying high-risk targets; or conducting visual and physical inspections of cargo, conveyances or passenger baggage. The Agriculture Specialist plans, conducts, and supervises remedial actions such as treating, disinfecting and decontaminating prohibited commodities, conveyances, contaminants or agricultural materials.[31]

The Agriculture Specialist position is categorized as a "sensitive" position in law enforcement and may be granted up to the "Secret" level security clearance. Candidates must undergo a single scope background investigation and a polygraph examination before being appointed. In addition, the candidates must undergo a video based interview as well as a drug and medical examination during the pre-appointment phase.

Tape used by U.S. Customs and Border Protection to reseal packages that they have searched, and to indicate that they have done so

Import Specialists interact with both importers and exporters and are responsible for decisions regarding merchandise, manufactured goods, and commodities.

Import Specialists work alongside CBP officers, Homeland Security Investigations special agents and legal professionals in matters of international trade.[32] They are responsible for classifying and appraising commercially imported merchandise that enter the country. They determine which products may legally enter the country by enforcing laws protecting public health and safety, intellectual property rights and fair trade practices. They detect incidents of smuggling, commercial fraud, and counterfeiting and participate in related criminal investigations.

Import Specialists have the authority to issue penalties and fines, to recommend seizure of prohibited or suspect cargo and to participate in negotiations and legal prosecution. Occasionally, Import Specialists may be given short-term assignments overseas as part of a multi-agency team. Responsibilities could include investigating foreign manufacturing facilities for violations involving child labor, product safety or other areas of concern to the country. Seven weeks of paid specialized training enable Import Specialists to develop an expert knowledge of import and export trends, commodities, industries, and international trade agreements. Import Specialists perform their mission at more than 300 ports of entry located at airports, seaports and land borders throughout the United States and along the Canadian and Mexican borders.

Border Patrol Agent reading the Miranda Rights to a suspect.

The U.S. Border Patrol Agent[33] (as opposed to Officer) is a federal law enforcement agent actively patrolling a U.S. border to prevent persons from entering or leaving the United States without government permission. Agents detect and prevent the smuggling and unlawful entry of aliens into the United States, along with apprehending those people found to be in violation of immigration laws. Agents work to lower crime and improve the quality of life in border communities. In some areas, Agents are deputized or have peace-officer status and use it to enforce local and state/territory laws. More than 20,000 Border Patrol Agents safeguard nearly 6,000 miles of land border the United States shares with Canada and Mexico, and more than 2,000 miles of coastal waters.

One of the most important activities for a United States Border Patrol Agent is "line watch". This involves the detection, prevention and apprehension of terrorists, illegal aliens and smugglers of both aliens and contraband at or near the land border by maintaining surveillance from a covert position, following up leads, responding to electronic sensor systems, aircraft sightings, and interpreting and following tracks, marks and other physical evidence. Some of the major activities are farm and ranch check, traffic check, traffic observation, city patrol, transportation check, administrative, intelligence, and anti-smuggling activities.

All agents complete a 13-week paid "Basic Academy" training at the U.S. Border Patrol Academy in Artesia, New Mexico. Training includes such topics as immigration and nationality laws, physical training (PT), weapons and marksmanship. For those needing Spanish language instruction, an additional 8 weeks may be required beyond the 65 days of Basic Academy training. Border Patrol Agents must be willing to work overtime and varying shifts under arduous conditions, and be proficient in the carry and use of firearms. They may also be sent on temporary assignments on short notice, or on permanent reassignments to any duty location. All new agents begin their careers along the Southwest border, where a working knowledge of Spanish is required.

• Office of Air and Marine Operations (AMO)
  • Aviation Enforcement Agents (AEA)
    An Aviation Enforcement Agent serves as the primary federal law enforcement officer aboard AMO aircraft.[34][35]
  • Air Interdiction Agents (AIA)
    Air Interdiction Agents serve as the pilot in command of an AMO aircraft.[34][36]
  • Marine Interdiction Agents (MIA)
    Marine Interdiction Agents are either the vessel commander or a crew member aboard an AMO vessel.[34][37]

AMO is the world's largest civilian aviation and maritime law enforcement organization. Its mission is to protect the American people and nation's critical infrastructure through the coordinated use of air and marine assets to detect, interdict and prevent acts of terrorism and the unlawful movement of people, illegal drugs, and other contraband toward or across the borders of the United States. Air and Marine Interdiction Agents are endowed with the authority to enforce Title 8 (Aliens and Nationality) and Title 19 (Customs) of the United States Code in addition to the general law enforcement powers bestowed upon federal law enforcement agents.

This specialized law enforcement capability allows AMO to make significant contributions to the efforts of the Department of Homeland Security, as well as to those of other federal, state, local, and tribal agencies. AMO is uniquely positioned to provide direct air and maritime support to multiple agencies and to ensure the success of border protection and law enforcement operations between ports of entry, within the maritime domain and within the nation's interior. To accomplish its mission, AMO employs over 1,200 Federal Agents at 70 locations, operating more than 260 aircraft of 26 different types, and approximately 300 maritime vessels. It is one of the major operational components within U.S. Customs and Border Protection, along with the Office of Field Operations (OFO) and the United States Border Patrol (USBP).[38]

A color guard composed of CBP officers and USBP agents at a Washington, D.C. ceremony in May, 2007.

In July 2006, the Office of Personnel Management conducted a survey of federal employees in all 36 federal agencies on job satisfaction and how they felt their respective agency was headed. DHS (which includes CBP) was last or near to last in every category including

• 36th on the job satisfaction index
• 35th on the leadership and knowledge management index
• 36th on the results-oriented performance culture index
• 33rd on the talent management index

The low scores were attributed to major concerns about basic supervision, management and leadership within DHS. Based on the survey, the primary concerns are about promotion and pay increase based on merit, dealing with poor performance, rewarding creativity and innovation, and the inability of leadership to generate high levels of motivation in the workforce, recognition for doing a good job, lack of satisfaction with various component policies and procedures and lack of information about what is going on with the organization and complaints from the traveling public.[39][40]

In June 2007, CBP Commissioner W. Ralph Basham announced to employees that the agency would be conducting 125 different focus groups in 12 different cities around the country to better understand their concerns as expressed in the Human Capital Survey. The agency is also going to give employees who are not a part of that focus group process an intranet virtual focus group where they can express their views and their concerns. The commissioner stated: "We are looking at this very seriously. We want to hear from the employees, we want to hear from these focus groups, we want to drill down on this survey." In 2011, more than four years after this statement was made, these focus groups have never been reported to have been held, nor have any plans been reported for them to be held in the future.

A November 2007 Government Accountability Office report showed that low staffing, training, and overwork is a large problem within CBP, and an average of 71 officers leave the service every two weeks.[41][42]

CBP continued carrying out their mission during the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States. As of June 17, 2020, 544 federal employees tested positive for COVID-19 and 5 have died as a result of the virus.[43]

In 2011, the United States Congress mandated that applicants to CBP jobs undergo polygraph testing. The agency polygraphs about 10,000 applicants annually. From the start of the polygraphing until August 16, 2013, over 200 confessions of wrongdoing had been made. Many of the applicants confessed that they had close associations with drug traffickers or that they were directly involved in smuggling of drugs and illegal immigrants. The agency accused ten applicants of using countermeasures. As part of the "Operation Lie Busters", the name of the crackdown on polygraph countermeasures, all ten were not selected for employment.[44]

CBP Officers primary sidearm since 2019 is the Glock 19[46] pistol in 9mm caliber. It can contain as many as 16 rounds of ammunition (15 in the magazine and one in the chamber). Like many other law enforcement agencies, the 12 gauge Remington Model 870 is the standard pump-action shotgun. The CBP issue Model 870 has been modified by Scattergun Technologies to CBP specifications including: a 14-inch barrel, a five-shot capacity magazine, a composite stock with pistol grip, and night sights with a tactical "ghost-ring" rear sight. CBP uses the 5.56x45 caliber Colt M4 Carbine (M4A1) as the standard long gun for CBP Officers assigned to its aviation and maritime interdiction units, the CBP Border Patrol, the CBP Special Response Teams.

In April 2019, CBP awarded Glock a contract to replace the H&K P2000.[47] A special version of the Glock known as G47 was produced for CBP, along with Glock G19 compact and Glock G26 subcompacts modified to CBP specifications. All will be chambered in 9mm caliber.[48]