Unannounced Inspection with Homeland Security Investigations & Immigration and Customs Enforcement
NEWARK, NJ. – On February 26, U. S. Customs and Border Protection at the Port of New York/Newark conducted an unannounced inspection of a CBP bonded warehouse to determine whether imported merchandise was properly secured. CBP collaborated with Homeland Security Investigations and Immigration & Customs Enforcement to ensure that the facility was adhering to CBP protocols for the importation of cargo entering the United States.
The operation is conducted in part to ensure employees working in CBP regulated/bonded facilities are lawfully present and permitted to work in the United States. This operation resulted in the discovery of 16 illegal aliens working in this warehouse. Those individuals were apprehended and turned over to agents with ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO). These operations have been conducted at the Port of New York/Newark since 2012, and CBP will continue these operations, known as FIST operations for Fraud Investigation Strike Teams at facilities that have been identified as being non-compliant or are potentially non-compliant with customs regulations.
Foreign Trade Zones (FTZ), Bonded Warehouses (BW), and Freight Forwarders (FF) are the main components of the in-bond system. The in-bond movement of cargo allows merchandise to travel to inland locations before being released by CBP, or to be transit the country for subsequent export.
FIST operations also serve to identify unauthorized manipulations of commercial merchandise within bonded areas and unauthorized access by employees who lack the authority to enter bonded areas. The unannounced FIST operations at FTZs, BWs, and FFs determine compliance with all CBP regulations. FIST falls under the Commercial Fraud Programs Unit within ICE and the Office of Field Operations’ Directorate of Cargo and Conveyance Security.
“In the current threat climate, enforcement efforts like this one are critical,” added Acting Port Director Jeffrey Greene. “Holding our trade industry partners accountable provides a baseline for operational proficiency. This baseline allows us to be laser focused on our broader enforcement efforts - keeping bad actors and bad things from harming our country.”
“This operation underscores HSI’s unwavering commitment to safeguarding the integrity of our trade infrastructure and, in turn, the wellbeing of the public at-large,” said ICE HSI Special Agent in Charge Ricky J. Patel. “HSI Newark is proud to stand side-by-side with our law enforcement partners to ensure the safety of our neighborhoods and our livelihoods.”