Spotlights
Spotlights from the previous administrations are available in the Archive section of our website.
- Artificial Intelligence to Harness Key Insights at CBP
03-24-2023 | Spotlights
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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- CBP SkillBridge Success Story – A Hiring Manager’s Perspective
03-23-2023 | Spotlights
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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- CBP Acting Commissioner Miller Hosts Year-end Trade Advisory Committee Public Meeting
12-12-2022 | Spotlights
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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- Automated Commercial Environment Collections Module uses the Technology Modernization Fund
11-22-2022 | Spotlights
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- CBP Deputy Commissioner Miller Hosts COAC Trade Advisory Committee in Chicago
09-19-2022 | Spotlights
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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- Facing the Future: CBP Hosts First Trade Summit in Anaheim
08-03-2022 | Spotlights
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…
- CBP Commissioner Magnus Hosts Second Public Meeting with Trade Advisory Committee
07-06-2022 | Spotlights
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 And Technology’s Trusted Partnership Initiative
06-02-2022 | Spotlights
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…
- U.S. Customs and Border Protection’s Office of Information Technology’s Border 5/Migration 5 (B5M5) CIO Tech Forum
06-02-2022 | Spotlights
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.…
- U.S. Customs and Border Protection’s Office of Information Technology Adapts CBP One to Meet Afghanistan Evacuation Challenges
06-02-2022 | Spotlights
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…
- Valor Memorial Ceremony Recognizes Unprecedented Losses for CBP
05-16-2022 | Spotlights
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…
- Candlelight Vigil Shines Light on Fallen Law Enforcement
05-16-2022 | Spotlights
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…
- Blue Mass Opens Police Week 2022
05-05-2022 | Spotlights
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…
- Optimism, Enthusiasm in OPR Mission Support
04-25-2022 | Spotlights
“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 Magnus has First Public Meeting with New 16th Term Trade Advisory Committee in D.C.
04-08-2022 | Spotlights
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 FawcettA spirit of cooperation was the…
- Planting Seeds: A Special Agent’s Call to Law Enforcement
04-01-2022 | Spotlights
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…
- Super Performance
02-15-2022 | Spotlights
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 AlbrechtIt 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…
- CBP International Trade Analyst Combats Forced Labor
01-28-2022 | Spotlights
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…
- Intelligence to Attaché: A CBP Career Path Story
01-27-2022 | Spotlights
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…
- Michael Ferguson — Turning Valleys Into Peaks
01-06-2022 | Spotlights
The first thing to know about Michael Ferguson, an information specialist with U.S. Customs and Border Protection’s Office of Information and Technology, is that he is a reader. If you ask him to describe the core ideas that inform his worldview, you’re likely to hear a favorite passage from something he’s read, recited by heart.
About weathering the ups and downs of a 30-plus-year career, for example, Ferguson quotes from Spencer Johnson’s “Peaks and Valleys”: “You change your valley into a peak when you find and use the good that is hidden in the bad time.” Ferguson’s ability to…
- During Valor Memorial Ceremony, CBP Remembers Those Lost in Line of Duty
10-18-2021 | Spotlights
On Oct. 15, U.S. Customs and Border Protection
honored 23 employees who died in the line of duty
at the Woodrow Wilson Plaza in Washington, D.C.
in a ceremony held during National Police Week.
Photo by Jaime RodriguezTwenty-three names read aloud. Twenty-three…
- Candlelight Vigil Ceremony Remembers Fallen Heroes
10-15-2021 | Spotlights
U.S. Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas
addresses thousands of law enforcement personnel, family, and
friends who attended the 33rd Annual Candlelight Vigil held on the
National…
- First Year, Five Classes, Just Getting Started
09-30-2021 | Spotlights
New Border Patrol Processing Coordinators have Early Impact on OperationsBorder Patrol Academy Chief Jason Owens speaks to the
graduating class and leads them on the traditional cover
run to celebrate their achievements.After completing 36 training days and 288 training hours, the fifth class of the U.S. Border Patrol Processing Coordinators (BPPC) proudly received their badge and credentials on Sept. 21, 2021 excited for what they…
- CBP’s Second Virtual Trade Week Focuses on Partnerships
08-02-2021 | Spotlights
CBP Acting Commissioner Troy A. Miller welcomes
attendees to CBP’s second Virtual Trade Week,
held July 20-22.
Photo Credit: U.S. Customs and Border ProtectionAs America continues to recover from the COVID-19 pandemic, U.S. Customs and Border Protection hosted its second Virtual Trade Week, July 20-22, bringing its industry and…
- Cherri King: Leading a Movement
07-23-2021 | Spotlights
As the nation's largest federal law-enforcement agency and an employer of more than 63,000 Americans, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) is poised to help lead the movement toward equity in the U.S., striving daily to recruit and hire a workforce that reflects the diversity of the population it serves.
“Do I feel like I’ve been accepted?” says
Cherri King. “Not everywhere. But you get to
a point in…