Spotlights

U.S. Customs and Border Protection’s (CBP) Office of Information and Technology (OIT) strives to provide the best services and tools to fulfill CBP’s multifaceted operations at the speed of the mission. Cloud computing is one such service that is transforming CBP’s ability to meet the needs of the public. OIT has prioritized Cloud computing since 2017, and the benefits are so impactful that the federal government has since mandated its use. Cloud computing is the on-demand delivery of computing power, servers, database storage, applications, and other IT resources delivered through a services…

The protection of public information and records is of the utmost importance in the digital age. With the ever-increasing number of cyber threats, it is imperative that government agencies ensure the safety and security of data. U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) is committed to providing full transparency by dedicating resources to improve how public information and records are protected. The CBP Records and Information Management program ensures the public has access to information created, stored, shared, and utilized in support of the CBP mission. In a single day, CBP processes over…

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. The summit began with a moment of silence in remembrance of the victims of the Boston Marathon bombing that occurred 10 years earlier at the iconic race that also was being held in the city that day. CBP Acting...

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. CBP honored nine employees lost in the line of duty – six in 2022 and three others lost in previous years – and added their names to the Valor Memorial, which was unveiled at the ceremony. The ceremony is held annually during National Police Week and also honors the 360 agents and officers of CBP and its...

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. Small…

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. The meeting opened with remarks delivered virtually by CBP Acting Deputy Commissioner Benjamine C. Huffman. “I’d like to start by noting a truly meaningful milestone for CBP. On March 1, CBP alongside the Department of Homeland Security, celebrated our 20th...

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. Similar cases are happening all too often around the U.S., posing a serious threat to public safety, the U.S. economy, and American agriculture. As CBP continues to encounter biological materials, Office of…

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. To achieve this enormous task, CBP has embraced the integration of Artificial Intelligence (AI) to directly support fulfilling its mission across the enterprise. The Office of Information and Technology operates to provide IT products and services faster, better, more affordably and more securely at the speed of CBP’s 24/7 mission. The Office of...

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.

On Aug. 14, 2021, the Taliban took control of the city of Kabul, the capital of Afghanistan. Shortly thereafter, President Joe Biden announced the U.S. would be evacuating over 100,000 people from Afghanistan. U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), alongside other federal agencies, responded to the rapid withdrawal from Afghanistan and mobilized a comprehensive campaign called Operation Allies Welcome. CBP was asked to support OAW by providing personnel and technology to aid in processing evacuees. Office of Information and Technology (OIT) personnel deployed across the U.S. to provide...