HIDALGO, Texas –U.S. Customs and Border Protection’s Laredo Field Office today hosted a Change of Command ceremony to formally instate Severiano Solis, formerly the Assistant Port Director, El Paso, Texas Port of Entry, as Port Director for the Hidalgo/Pharr/Anzalduas Ports of Entry. Solis has served as Port Director in Hidalgo since March 2017 prior to today’s formal instatement, conducted by Director, Field Operations David P. Higgerson.

“Seve is an officer’s officer with a tremendous amount of professionalism, integrity, respect for and devotion to CBP’s border security mission and brings a wealth of management experience at both large and smaller ports along the Southwest Border and with Joint Task Force-West-South Texas Corridor that will serve him well in his new position,” said Director, Field Operations David P. Higgerson, Laredo Field Office. “His three plus decades of experience, familiarity with and longstanding working relationship with the key stakeholders in the area will help ensure a smooth transition and help him realize his vision for the future of the port, moving forward.”

Held at the Boggus Ford Events Center, the ceremony, steeped in CBP tradition, features the transferal of the CBP guidon from the DFO to the Port Director to symbolize the conveyance and assumption of command.

As the Port Director in Hidalgo since March 2017, Mr. Solis is responsible for managing a workforce of 520+, operations and enforcement activities at three international bridge crossings, two international airports; as well as maintaining management and oversight responsibilities for processing more than 12 million travelers and over $21 million in trade annually.

Possessing a vast array of workforce, management and leadership experience, Mr. Solis previously served as Assistant Port Director for El Paso, Texas Port of Entry and assumed responsibility for the second largest passenger border crossing in the nation, from 2014 to 2017. As Assistant Port Director, he had oversight of all passenger and admissibility operations and policy, managing human, financial, and information resources. During this assignment, Mr. Solis served as acting Port Director at the port of El Paso, Texas, leading over 1,000 employees and managing four bridge crossings, two commercial crossings, two rail crossings, and one international airport.

Prior to that, Mr. Solis served as the Port Director at the Rio Grande City, Texas Port of Entry, serving from May 2010 to November 2014. During his tenure as Port Director, Mr. Solis was appointed for one year as Area Commander, Joint Task Force-West, South Texas Corridor.

In November 2006, Mr. Solis served as the Border Security Coordinator at the Laredo Field Office, where he developed protocols improving the border security programs within the ports of entry.

In June 1995, Mr. Solis was promoted to U.S. Customs Supervisory Inspector at the Port of Hidalgo, Texas, and in June 1997 as Chief Inspector where he managed diversified programs within passenger, trade and enforcement operational areas.

Mr. Solis has over 33 years of law enforcement experience, having joined the U.S. Customs Service under the Cooperative Education Program on January 1984 at the Laredo, Texas Port of Entry.

Mr. Solis has participated in international training missions with the Office of International Affairs, having traveled to the Republic of China in 1999, the Republic of Slovakia/Czech Republic in 2003, and he served as Customs coordinator with foreign customs services for the last official trip taken by President Bill Clinton to Ireland, Northern Ireland, and England.

Mr. Solis graduated from the CBP Leadership Institute (LI) and the CBP Command Leadership Academy (CLA). Mr. Solis holds a bachelor of science degree in criminal justice science from University of Texas-Rio Grande Valley, formerly Pan American University, Edinburg, Texas. Mr. Solis and his wife have been married for 16 years, and are the proud parents of two sons.