Spotlights

By Marcy Mason

The children of a fallen sheriff’s deputy from La Paz County, Arizona, will never forget an act of kindness from two strangers. U.S. Border Patrol Agent Paul Fisher and his wife, Ashlee, helped them receive a medal to honor their father’s service to the country.

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By Marcy Mason

It was just like old times during pre-pandemic days when a record crowd flocked to Boston, April 17-19, to attend U.S. Customs and Border Protection’s 2023 Trade Facilitation and Cargo Security Summit. The three-day conference, which attracted 1,200 on-site and 3,000 virtual participants, garnered the highest attendance ever drawn to the agency’s signature trade event.

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Uniformed personnel stood at attention yesterday as agents and officers escorted the families and loved ones of each of CBP’s fallen heroes being honored this year at the CBP Valor Memorial and Wreath Laying Ceremony in the Woodrow Wilson Plaza outside CBP headquarters in Washington, D.C.

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The Office of Information and Technology (OIT) is proud to announce two new contracting opportunities, including initiatives that support small businesses. We will award two new multiple-award Blanket Purchase Agreements (BPAs):

Enterprise Small Business (ESB) and Enterprise Business Management Support Services 2.0 (EBMSS 2.0). ESB is slated for award in the third quarter of fiscal year 2023, and EBMSS is anticipated to be awarded in the first quarter of fiscal year 2024. OIT Supports Small Business

Supporting all areas of the business community is important to OIT. Per the U.S.…

No rain was in the forecast when the 16th term of U.S. Customs and Border Protection’s trade advisory committee met in Seattle on March 29. It also was smooth sailing indoors when the members of the Commercial Customs Operations Advisory Committee discussed the country’s most pressing trade issues at their first public meeting this year.

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Last May, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers assigned to the Port of New York/New York seized numerous vials and vacuum sealed bags with unknown organic materials from a U.S. citizen traveling outbound to Narita, Japan. The subject identified himself as a professor at a public university, focused on stem cell research, and stated the samples were manufactured in a U.S. lab.

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Data is an asset to the U.S Customs and Border Protection’s (CBP) mission and effectively harnessing key insights that this data offers in a timely fashion provides immense value for the safety of the nation and the ability to fulfill CBP’s mission.

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U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) partners with the Department of Defense (DoD), SkillBridge internship program to provide transitioning servicemembers the opportunity to transition into permanent CBP positions at no cost to the agency.

CBP began collaborating with the SkillBridge program agency-wide in fiscal year (FY) 2022 with resounding success. CBP’s Human Resources Management (HRM), Policy and Regulatory Affairs Division (HRPRA), was one of the first divisions to host SkillBridge interns at CBP headquarters in Washington, D.C.

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Members of the 16th term Commercial Customs Operations Advisory Committee, known as COAC, were recognized for their meaningful contributions when they gathered Wednesday for their last public meeting of the year in College Park, Maryland. 

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The momentum continued when members of the 16th term Commercial Customs Operations Advisory Committee, known as COAC, gathered in Chicago on Sept. 14, for their third public meeting of the fiscal year. It was the first time U.S. Customs and Border Protection’s trade advisory committee held its quarterly meeting with in-person public participation since the beginning of the pandemic.

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The focus was on the future at U.S. Customs and Border Protection’s first Trade Facilitation and Cargo Security Summit. Over 3,000 attendees, 1,000 on-site and more than 2,000 virtually, gathered in Anaheim, California, July 18-20, to learn more about CBP’s forward vision in a constantly changing trade environment. It was the first time CBP had hosted an in-person trade event of this magnitude since the pandemic began two-and-a-half years ago. It was also the first time the agency had combined two of its signature events—CBP’s annual trade symposium and the Customs Trade Partnership…

U.S. Customs and Border Protection Commissioner Chris Magnus hosted members of the 16th term Commercial Customs Operations Advisory Committee, known as COAC, as they gathered on Wednesday, June 29, for their second public meeting at CBP’s Advanced Training Center in Harpers Ferry, West Virginia. “I’m grateful to be able to convene this meeting and continue what I think is one of the most important things we can do, which is build relationships with the trade community to improve how we do enforcement, but perhaps even more importantly, facilitation,” said Magnus.

The commissioner,…

U.S. Customs and Border Protection’s Office of Information Technology’s Trusted Partnership Initiative program promotes teamwork across organizational lines, facilitating IT to operate at the speed of mission. Through regular engagement, Trusted Partner…

The Border 5/Migration 5 is a partnership between Australia, Canada, New Zealand, the U.K., and the U.S. designed to enhance international cooperation and coordination on border security. U.S. Customs and Border Protection’s Office of Information and Technology Assistant Commissioner and Chief Information Officer Sonny Bhagowalia serves as the U.S.…

CBP One application screen

As flights streamed out of Kabul International Airport and images of evacuating Americans and Afghan partners flooded screens across the world, the men of women of U.S. Customs and Border Protection were leaping into action to…

  Members of U.S. Customs and Border Protection’s Pipe and Drum Corps plays the bagpipes during the solemn Valor Memorial and Wreath Laying Ceremony at headquarters in Washington, D.C., May 12. CBP photo

An…

The candles of thousands of attendees lit up the National Mall in Washington for the 34th Annual Candlelight Vigil on May 13, one of the most moving ceremonies for fallen law enforcement officers during National Police Week. The vigil paid tribute to the 619 officers killed in the line of duty across the nation whose names were added to the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial. The names of 32 law enforcement officers were from U.S. Customs and Border Protection; the agency lost an additional five non-law enforcement members in 2021.

“They are individuals who made the ultimate…

CBP Commissioner Chris Magnus, second pew center, and other law enforcement leaders watch as a joint federal and National Capital Region Color Guard present the colors at the 28th Blue Mass at St. Patrick Church in Washington, D.C., on May 3. CBP…

“It's OK to say you don't know because you're not supposed to know everything. But you must be helpful, “said U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Mission Support Specialist Anna Cruz.

Mission Support Specialist Anna Cruz

Cruz is responsible for providing support, guidance, and expertise for the Office of Professional Responsibility (…

CBP Commissioner Chris Magnus delivers his
opening remarks at the March 31 COAC meeting
held in Washington, D.C. From left, Treasury
Deputy Assistant Secretary Timothy Skud, CBP
Commissioner Chris Magnus, CBP Acting
Executive Director Office of Trade Relations
Valarie Neuhart, and CBP Executive Assistant
Commissioner of Field Operations Pete Flores.
Photo by Glenn Fawcett

A spirit of cooperation was the…

The seeds that blossomed into U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Special Agent David Chin’s decade-long career in law enforcement were planted long before he ever joined the agency. “I really have always wanted to go into law enforcement,” said Chin, who has been with the CBP Office of Professional Responsibility (OPR) Investigative Operations Directorate (IOD) for just over a year.

But while Chin’s passion for law enforcement has deep roots, it is CBP’s emphasis on nurturing interests outside of work that he likes best. “I’m happy to be with CBP,” Chin said. “It’s very family…

A counterfeit Super Bowl trophy was intercepted for intellectual property rights violations before Super Bowl LVI. The real Super Bowl trophy is
one of the last things CBP scanned before the big game. Photo by Mani Albrecht  

 

It was an exciting matchup watched ‘round the world, as the Los Angeles Rams and Cincinnati Bengals and battled to an exciting 23-20 finish, in favor of the Rams. While the…

From social distancing to antigen to PPE, the pandemic has changed our everyday vocabulary. Add to the list another new household term: global supply chain.

Whether it’s gloves stitched in Malaysia or tomatoes grown in Mexico, each year trillions of dollars of consumer products rely on the global supply chain - the worldwide system through which businesses produce and distribute goods and services — and which comprises hundreds of millions of workers who continue to be affected by the pandemic. But this global supply chain, along with the multitude of problems that may beset it and…

The path to becoming a U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) attaché is rarely conventional. As CBP Attaché Paul Posner put it, “Being an attaché requires a specific combination of knowledge, skills, and abilities.” However, each attaché has a unique journey to success.

Posner is the Regional Attaché for the Rome, Italy, Area of Responsibility. He serves as the senior diplomatic representative in the region and is responsible for promoting CBP programs, capabilities, and priorities in 11 countries in Southern Europe. Now, in his third year in the position, Posner would like…