U.S. Customs and Border Protection - Organization

Organization

CBP has a workforce of over 58,000 employees, including officers and agents, agriculture specialists, aircraft pilots, trade specialists, mission support staff, and canine enforcement officers and agents.

• More than 21,180 CBP Officers inpect and examine passengers and cargo at over 300 ports of entry.
• Over 2,200 CBP Agriculture Specialists work to curtail the spread of harmful pests and plant and animal diseases that may harm America’s farms and food supply or cause bio- and agro-terrorism.
• Over 21,370 Border Patrol Agents protect and patrol 1,900 miles (3,100 km) of border with Mexico and 5,000 miles (8,000 km) of border with Canada.
• Nearly 1,050 Air and Marine Interdiction Agents prevent people, weapons, narcotics, and conveyances from illegal entry by air and water.
• Nearly 2,500 employees in CBP revenue positions collect over $30 billion annually in entry duties and taxes through the enforcement of trade and tariff laws. These collections provide the second largest revenue for the U.S. Government. In addition, these employees fulfill the agency’s trade mission by appraising and classifying imported merchandise. These employees serve in positions such as import specialist, auditor, international trade specialist, and textile analyst.
• The CBP Canine Enforcement Program conducts the largest number of working dogs of any U.S. federal law enforcement agency. K-9 teams are assigned to 73 commercial ports and 74 Border Patrol stations throughout the nation.

There are 327 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 identifies and inspects foreign cargo in its mother country before it is to be imported into the United States.

The major offices operating under CBP are:

• The Office of Field Operations (OFO); headed by Assistant Commissioner Thomas S. Winkowski.
• The Office of Border Patrol (OBP); headed by Chief Michael J. Fisher.
• The Office of Air and Marine (OAM); headed by Assistant Commissioner Michael C. Kostelnik.
• The Office of International Trade (OT); headed by Assistant Commissioner Allen Gina.
• The Office of Information and Technology (OIT); headed by Assistant Commissioner Charles Armstrong.
• The Office of Administration (OA); formerly the Office of Finance; headed by Assistant Commissioner Eugene Schied.
• The Office of Training and Development (OTD); headed by Assistant Commissioner Patricia M. Duffy.
• The Office of Internal Affairs (IA); headed by Assistant Commissioner James Tomsheck.
• The Office of Intelligence and Investigative Liaison (OIIL); headed by Assistant Commissioner Donna Bucella. Established in July 2011, following a re-organization of the Office of Intelligence & Operations Coordination (OIOC) from the merger of the former Offices of Intelligence and Anti-Terrorism in July 2007.

CBP assess all passengers flying into the U.S. for terrorist risk via Joint Terrorism Task Force and systems such as Advance Passenger Information System (APIS), United States Visitor and Immigrant Status Indication Technology US-VISIT, and the Student and Exchange Visitor System SEVIS. CBP also works with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to screen high-risk imported food shipments in order to prevent bio-terrorism/agro-terrorism.

Through the Container Security Initiative, CBP works jointly with host nation counterparts to identify and screen containers that pose a risk at the foreign port of departure before they are loaded on board vessels bound for the U.S. CSI is implemented in 20 of the largest ports in terms of container shipments to the U.S., and at a total of 58 ports worldwide.

The Secure Electronic Network for Travelers Rapid Inspection program allows pre-screened, low-risk travelers from Mexico to be processed through dedicated lanes. NEXUS is a similar program on the country's northern border with Canada. Along both borders, CBP has implemented the Free and Secure Trade, which utilizes transponder technology and pre-arrival shipment information to process participating trucks as they arrive at the border. An agreement with Canada allows CBP to target, screen, and examine rail shipments headed to the U.S.