Office of CBP Air and Marine - History and Consolidation

History and Consolidation

• 1789 - The U.S. Customs Service (USCS) is established to aid in the protection of the revenue of the United States and to prevent the smuggling of contraband. A fleet of vessels begin to patrol the coastal waters of the United States. Congress authorized the Collector of Customs to acquire boats and hire boatsmen. These vessels and boatsmen were the forerunners of today’s Midnight Express Interceptor vessels and Marine Interdiction Agents.

• 1808 - Boatsmen Asa March and Elis Drake became the first Customs officers to die in the line of duty. They gave their lives during a marine interdiction and subsequent gunfight on Lake Champlain in New York.

• 1922 - U.S. Customs Service Patrol began to utilize seized aircraft to enable aerial surveillance and enforcement.

• 1932 - A record-high 35 aircraft were seized for smuggling. This led to the establishment of an unofficial Customs Patrol Air Group. The new aerial surveillance effort focused on the southern U.S. border.

• 1969 - The U.S. Customs Service officially established its aviation program, which became operational in 1971.

• 1973 - The U.S. Customs Service marine program was established in its modern form with the acquisition of 5 "go-fast" vessels.

• 1999 - The USCS Air and Marine Interdiction Division (AMID) was formed by merging the aviation and marine programs.

• March 1, 2003 - Pursuant to the Homeland Security Act of 2002, the U.S. Customs Service and Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS) were abolished, and their components were transferred to newly formed agencies within the Department of Homeland Security. The USCS Air and Marine Interdiction Division was transferred to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), becoming the Office of Air and Marine Operations (AMO). On the same day, the U.S. Border Patrol with its aviation and marine assets were transferred from the Immigration and Naturalization Service to U.S. Customs and Border Protection.

• October 23, 2004 - ICE Air and Marine Operations was transferred to U.S. Customs and Border Protection due to political and budgetary disputes between ICE and CBP.

• October 1, 2005 - U.S. Customs and Border Protection integrated its Air and Marine Operations and Border Patrol aviation assets and personnel to more effectively accomplish its aviation missions, forming the Office of CBP Air.

• January 17, 2006 - U.S. Customs and Border Protection consolidated all aviation and marine assets under the newly titled Office of Air and Marine (OAM), with responsibility for the entirety of CBP's aviation and marine programs, including training, safety standards, equipment, procurement, and maintenance. The purpose of these consolidations was to align air and marine law enforcement personnel and assets into one agency, enabling them to better accomplish the new homeland security mission.