This paper examines the United States Customs and Border Protection (CBP), a major component of the Department of Homeland Security established in 2003. The paper provides an overview of CBP's evolution, organizational structure across fourteen component offices, and three core strategic missions: securing America from terrorism, expediting legitimate trade and travel, and investing in workforce capabilities. Drawing on CBP's 2013 Performance and Accountability Report, the paper evaluates the agency's achievements against its strategic objectives, including successes such as a 15.8% recidivism rate for illegal border crossers and the seizure of 731 weapons. The analysis argues that despite initial skepticism about consolidating multiple border-management functions into a single agency, CBP has demonstrated measurable progress and that similar structural integration could improve efficiency in other government functions.
The United States Customs and Border Protection (CBP) is a comprehensive border security agency within the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) whose main focus is to protect, control, and manage the nation's ports and boundaries. Its primary functions are to facilitate the legitimate movement of goods and people across the border, and to protect the nation from external acts of terrorism. The CBP carries out its anti-terrorism function through a complex multi-level process that involves prioritizing threats, analyzing risk, and anticipating terrorist trends.
High-risk zones are identified through intelligence estimates, geospatial intelligence, effectiveness ratios, traditional third-party indicators, and analysis of data on drug-weight-to-frequency rates and recidivism. CBP is also tasked with preventing the transportation of counterfeit intellectual goods, money, prohibited drugs, agricultural produce, and illegal immigrants across the nation's borders. The agency's role as a component of the DHS is immense.
A faction of experts believes, however, that the reorganization of the DHS and the integration of numerous functions that were initially performed by multiple organizations into two departments (the CBP and the Immigration and Customs Enforcement) did more harm than good, as it made coordination of functions more difficult and has consequently given rise to massive inefficiencies within the DHS. Some skeptics of such reorganization believe that the nation should return to the initial system, where facilitation of international trade, compliance, and security were carried out by multiple organizations.
This text assesses the truth in these arguments by evaluating the performance of CBP (one of the two main components of the DHS) a decade after its formation. It presents the specific roles of CBP, the strategies that it has adopted to achieve its strategic goals, and a baseline comparison of its achievements and performance in 2013 with its projected goals. The analysis shows that despite the many controversies surrounding its formation and structure, CBP has demonstrated positive outcomes in carrying out its functions, and the same system of operation—where related functions initially carried out by multiple organizations are brought together under one large agency—needs to be implemented in other government functions as a way of boosting overall efficiency.
CBP came into existence on March 1, 2003, when the DHS was established through the passage of the Homeland Security Act. It brought together four organizations: the US Border Patrol, the US Department of Agriculture's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, US Customs, and US Immigration. These organizations were initially separately responsible for maintaining the integrity of the nation's borders and points of entry.
With the establishment of the DHS, the service and enforcement functions initially performed by the Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS) were transferred to the Directorate of Border and Transportation Security, which then included the Bureaus of Citizenship and Immigration, Border Security, and US Customs. President Bush, in 2003, proposed a reorganization plan that would rename the three bureaus as the Bureau of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (for the Bureau of Border Security) and the Bureau of Customs and Border Protection (for the Customs Service). The DHS later changed these names to the US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
The agriculture inspection function, formerly performed by APHIS, and the inspections and border patrol functions, initially conducted by INS, were placed under the CBP; whereas investigative roles were assigned to the ICE. In 2006, the Customs Service Air and Marine Interdiction Division was transferred from ICE to the CBP and renamed the Office of Air and Marine. Its specific functions are discussed in the Components and Current Structure section of this text.
CBP positions itself as the guardian of America's borders. It commits itself to protecting America from terrorism and any threat of terror, and enforcing the nation's laws by facilitating legitimate international trade and travel. In its mission statement, the agency reiterates its commitment to maintaining the integrity of the nation's borders and serving the American people with vigilance, professionalism, and integrity. Currently, CBP is home to over 60,000 employees, and controls approximately 95,000 miles of shoreline, 1,900 miles of the US-Mexico border, and over 5,000 miles of the US-Canada border. Its employees are guided by the core values of integrity, vigilance, and service to country in the conduct of their duties.
As a component of the DHS, CBP ties to the department through its mission and core values. The DHS runs five core missions: to reinforce security through preventing terrorism; to preside over and secure America's borders; to enforce and administer the laws and regulations of immigration; to protect the nation's cyberspace; and to ensure that the nation remains resilient to disaster. The CBP derives its core mission of protecting America from terrorists and instruments of terrorism, and enforcing the nation's laws by facilitating legitimate international trade and travel, directly from the DHS mission statement.
Additionally, CBP is covered by any legislation affecting the DHS. For instance, CBP is bound by the DHS Financial Accountability Act and is required to submit an annual assurance statement detailing its performance data, internal controls, financial system controls, management systems controls, and its impact on the functions of the DHS. In 2013, CBP implemented various strategies geared at improving financial efficiency in line with the DHS Financial Accountability Act, including modernization of revenue processes and systems, establishment of purchase request review processes for evaluating the cost efficiencies of proposed procurements, and conduction of vendor outreach events meant to link small international business opportunities with the government.
The CBP comprises fourteen component offices, all of which report to the CBP commissioner. These offices are organized to address distinct functional areas while maintaining coordination through the central command structure.
The OFO is charged with the enforcement of agriculture, immigration, and customs laws and regulations at the nation's borders. Its core function is to prevent the entry of terrorists and instruments of terrorism into the United States. Currently, OFO operates in 15 clearance stations in Ireland, the Caribbean, and Canada, 328 points of entry, and 230 field operation points. The field offices are each headed by a Director of Field Operations, and the points of entry by Port Directors whose main responsibility is to oversee the enforcement of laws and ensure the smooth flow of people and goods at individual operational centers.
The OAM serves mainly to protect the nation and its critical infrastructure from unlawful movement and external acts of terrorism through the use of marine forces and integrated air assets. Its forces are responsible for maintaining domain security of the national border, enforcing air and marine laws at the points of entry, and interdicting illegal air and marine shipments. OAM officers also support DHS missions such as recovery from terrorism and national disasters.
The OBP is the CBP's law-enforcement hub. Its core responsibility is to prevent illegal drugs, illegal aliens, terrorists, and instruments of terrorism from being smuggled into the country at the points of entry. It comprises twenty sectors scattered along the coastal, northern, and southwestern areas of the country. Currently, the Border Patrol is responsible for over 2,000 miles of coastal waters surrounding the Puerto Rico Island and the Florida Peninsula, and over 6,000 miles of the US-Canada and US-Mexico borders.
OIIL forces implement and coordinate intelligence capabilities to help other CBP components detect and interdict unlawful trade and travel. The OIIL brings together, in one cohesive enterprise, intelligence capabilities from different CBP offices. It supports the agency's mission through collection and analysis of valuable cargo and traveler information, intelligence analysis, and establishment of information-sharing relationships with relevant tribal, local, state, and federal intelligence agencies.
The INA is responsible for coordinating and supporting the agency's foreign activities, initiatives, and programs. This it does through establishing partnerships with international organizations, foreign administrations, and relevant agencies of the US government. Its forces currently operate 5 advisory and 22 attaché offices whose main focus is to enforce border best practices and facilitate capacity building on a global scale.
The OT is responsible for coordinating program development and trade policy. Its core responsibility is to enforce trade policy by taking legal action against companies that engage in property rights infringement and other predatory trade practices. Its specific duties include implementation of programs designed to aid in the identification of imported products that pose safety or health risks, enforcement of international trade agreements and trade laws and regulations, issuance of CBP regulations and compliance publications, and conduction of outreach and training programs on trade and customs laws.
OCA forces coordinate the agency's legislative and congressional activities to ensure that all programmatic, technical, operational, and policy activities flow smoothly. Specific functions include requesting information, assistance, tours, or meetings from Congress, and building relationships between the agency and members and staff of Congress.
These offices are responsible for overseeing the agency's budget activities and its asset management, procurement, and financial management activities as outlined in the Chief Financial Officers Act of 1990.
CBP operates a centralized human resource management system. The HRM Office is responsible for organizational structure, employee relations, labor relations, personnel actions, workplace safety, and compensation administration. Further, it is responsible for developing employee wellness and health programs and providing benefits information, retention support, and recruitment services.
Their core responsibility is to provide the agency with the technology solutions, services, and information needed to keep the border secure. The CIO is also responsible for overseeing system interfaces between the agency and various government agencies, as well as managing automated import processing systems.
The OIA is the security arm of CBP and serves mainly to promote the integrity of the agency's workforce. Its main responsibilities include conducting background checks on CBP employees, investigating claims of misconduct brought against employees, performing credibility assessments, detecting and preventing internal fraud and corruption, designing cyber-security policies meant to secure the agency's confidential information, and developing internal control systems.
The OPA is largely responsible for communicating the agency's operations and mission to its chief stakeholders, who include CBP employees, travelers crossing America's borders, international trade organizations, importers, and the American public. These communications are usually passed through five channels: CBP Today (the agency's bimonthly newsletter), CBPnet (the agency's intranet site for internal communications), the agency's call center, the agency's website, informational brochures, and media events.
OTIA is responsible for integrating technology across the agency and ensuring that the technology efforts of all CBP components align properly with the overall mission. Further, OTIA is responsible for the development of management programs designed to aid in the acquisition of effective contractor-delivered services or products. It is headed by the Component Acquisition Executive (CAE).
The OTD is responsible for designing employee training programs and training supports, and ensuring that such programs not only support the agency's mission but also assist employees in the realization of the agency's strategic goals. This it does by procuring relevant training tools, delivering and evaluating the effectiveness of employee training programs, and establishing agency training policies and standards. Towards this end, OTD's core responsibility is to prepare the agency's employees to meet the challenges faced in the performance of mission-critical operations.
"CBP's role in economic and public health security"
The United States Customs and Border Protection (CBP) is a comprehensive border security agency within the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) whose main focus is to protect, control, and manage the nation's ports and boundaries. Its primary functions are to facilitate the legitimate movement of goods and people across the border, and to protect the nation from external acts of terrorism. The CBP carries out its anti-terrorism function through a complex multi-level process that involves prioritizing threats, analyzing risk, and anticipating terrorist trends.
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