LAREDO, Texas – U.S. Customs and Border Protection announced today that Joseph Misenhelter, formerly the Assistant Port Director, Passenger Operations, San Ysidro Port of Entry, has entered on duty as Port Director for Laredo Port of Entry. Misenhelter succeeds Jose Uribe, who had served as acting Port Director since June 2013.
“I am excited to serve as Port Director in a community with such a vibrant spirit and robust commercial and passenger vehicle traffic volumes. I have had initial meetings with key international trade, governmental and consular stakeholders from Laredo and Nuevo Laredo and look forward to working more closely with everyone. I am eager to apply experiences and efficiencies gleaned from managing West Coast ports in a constructive way to continually improve facilitation of lawful trade and travel while upholding our border security mission,” Misenhelter said.
Joseph Misenhelter, Port Director, Laredo Port of Entry
As Port Director for Laredo Port of Entry, Misenhelter oversees the operations of six operational entry points at passenger, cargo, rail and air facilities. The Laredo Port of Entry leads in major categories including processing of approximately 40% of all land import/exports between the United States and Mexico. The total value of imports processed at Laredo Port of Entry in FY 2013 was $98.5 billion.
Joseph Misenhelter is a native of San Diego, Calif., and a 1990 graduate of San Diego State University where he earned a degree in Economics and a commission as an officer in the United States Army Reserve.
Mr. Misenhelter began his federal law enforcement career with the Department of Treasury, U.S. Customs Service in 1991 as an Inspector at the San Ysidro Port of Entry in San Ysidro, Calif. Since his initial assignment at San Ysidro, Mr. Misenhelter has been assigned to operations at Otay Mesa passenger processing, Otay Mesa commercial processing, Brown Field private air, Tecate Port of Entry as well as having served on enforcement operations at San Diego Airport and Seaport. In addition, in 2002, Mr. Misenhelter served as a Desk Officer at CBP Headquarters in Washington, D.C. on a temporary duty basis and is a FEMA trained Master Exercise Practitioner.
In 2004, Mr. Misenhelter became the Assistant Port Director, Tactical Operations at the San Ysidro Port of Entry. In this capacity he provided oversight for all enforcement operations at the world’s busiest Landborder, including Canine Enforcement, Anti-Terrorism Contraband Enforcement Team, Criminal Enforcement Unit, and Counter-Terrorism Response Team.
In December 2005 Mr. Misenhelter was appointed as the Assistant Port Director (Trade) at the Otay Mesa Commercial Facility where he oversaw core trade processes at the truck crossing. These core processes include: CBP inspectional activities, in-bond movements, administrative section, Free and Secure Trade (FAST), training department, agriculture operations, entry branch and import specialist branch.
In January 2007 Mr. Misenhelter was appointed as the Port Director of the Tecate Port of Entry where he oversaw all aspects of the operation including both passenger and commercial processing.
In March 2007, Mr. Misenhelter was promoted to GS-15 and reported in August 2007 as Assistant Port Director, Passenger Processing at the San Ysidro Port of Entry. In this position, he was responsible for the oversight of CBP Officers involved in vehicle and pedestrian processing and agriculture programs. San Ysidro is the largest land border crossing in the nation. Passenger operations is responsible for processing more than 35,000 vehicles, 23,000 pedestrians, over 10,000 SENTRI participants and successfully interdicts narcotics, illegal entries, prohibited agriculture products and wanted felons each day.
Mr. Misenhelter has overseen major CBP initiatives including port implementations of the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative, e-Manifest, rollout of the Vehicle Primary Client, and is a charter member of the Bi-National Security Committee.
Mr. Misenhelter is married and has a son and daughter.
CBP’s Laredo Port of Entry is part of the South Texas Campaign, which leverages federal, state and local resources to combat transnational criminal organizations.