Spotlights

“They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old; Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn. At the going down of the sun and in the morning we will remember them.” From the poem “For the Fallen,” by Laurence Binyon, engraved on CBP’s Valor Memorial. A bell tolled across the plaza of the building that holds U.S. Customs and Border Protection headquarters in Washington, D.C. A bagpipe honor guard stood steadfast, playing the sorrowful but stirring melodies. CBP’s Valor Memorial ceremony, held Friday, was a somber reflection of the seven souls who made the ultimate sacrifice during…

Editor’s note: The story of Air Interdiction Agent Julio Baray and his sons is the third in our series highlighting those who served, died in the line of duty and left a legacy of service to the country by way of their children. Victor Baray loved seeing his father wear his uniform. “I remember thinking as a kid how cool it was to see him in uniform and see him like that,” he said, remembering back nearly 20 years when he was just 5 years old, seeing his dad in his Border Patrol and then Air and Marine Operations uniforms. “I think every kid wants to fill their father’s shoes, so I knew since…

Growing up in South Philadelphia, Sunny Lam’s journey to success at U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) was anything but guaranteed. Lam’s early life was a difficult one; his mother had a gambling issue, and his father was a post-Vietnam veteran with PTSD. His family was poor and moved constantly. Then, when Lam was five years old, his father murdered his mother, forcing him to live with an aunt and uncle for a few years, until they decided they did not want him and his siblings living in South Philadelphia any longer. At the age of eight, he was placed with a foster family in Bensalem...

By John Davis Near the remote U.S. Customs and Border Protection outpost in St. Juste, Maine, stands a small apple orchard. Each spring, as the sun’s rays finally help the soil revive from a deep winter slumber, the apple trees sprout blossoms, which in the fall become the delectable fruit. And, as in the cliché, the apples don’t fall from far from the trees. Similarly, the legacy of the CBP officer who planted the orchard years ago doesn’t fall far from his agency roots. “My dad had a passion for apples and his apple orchard,” said CBP Officer Kevin MacCallum, the oldest son of CBP Officer...

U.S. Navy veteran Jomaica De Villa’s path to U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) started with a chance encounter a decade ago. After college, De Villa immigrated to the U.S. from the Philippines to join her family. Soon after, she was working at a restaurant in the San Francisco Bay Area when she spotted a man wearing a “nice blue uniform” and asked him about his job. The man turned out to be a CBP officer, and he told her about his career, the CBP mission, and how he came to join the agency. After that encounter, De Villa said, “I just felt I wanted to be part of what they were doing...

On Super Bowl Sunday, it was Mark Spruill's time to shine. “We coordinated and worked well with our teammates,” Spruill said. “We are a specialty team with unique skills, expertise and training that is capable of integrating and working with all of our partners. We came ready to play defense and ready to work with all of our partners.” But he wasn’t on a punt team, or kickoff return, or any kind of special “dime” or “nickel” package like the Philadelphia Eagles or Kansas City Chiefs had. His role was as a vessel commander aboard one of U.S. Customs and Border Protection’s Air and Marine...