WASHINGTON — U.S. Customs and Border Protection announced today 23 tentative selections for new reimbursable services agreements that will promote cross-border trade and facilitate essential travel to the United States.
These public-private partnerships will allow approved private sector and state and local government entities to reimburse CBP for expanded services for incoming commercial and cargo traffic and international traveler arrivals in Alabama; Arizona; California; Colorado; Delaware; Florida; Georgia; Illinois; Louisiana; Maine; Massachusetts; Michigan; Minnesota; Missouri; New Jersey; New Mexico; New York; North Carolina; Ohio; Pennsylvania; Tennessee; Texas; Virginia; and Washington.
“By pursuing public-private partnerships CBP is able to manage increases in passenger and cargo volumes that impact passenger wait times and cargo backups,” indicated Pete Flores, Executive Assistant Commissioner for Field Operations. “With the Reimbursable Services Program we expand our footprint and facilitate our capacity to serve the public.”
Since the Reimbursable Services Program began in 2013, CBP has expanded it to include 292 stakeholders. The program has provided more than 1 million additional processing hours at the request of CBP’s partners—accounting for the processing of more than 16.2 million travelers and more than 2 million personal and commercial vehicles.
Authorized by Section 481 of the Homeland Security Act of 2002, reimbursable services agreements increase CBP’s ability to provide new or enhanced services on a reimbursable basis by creating partnerships with private sector and government entities. Reimbursable services under this authority include customs, agricultural processing, border security services, immigration inspections and support services at ports of entry.
The statute includes several limitations at CBP-serviced airports. Reimbursable services are limited to overtime costs and support services for airports with 100,000 or more arriving international passengers annually. Airports with fewer than 100,000 arriving international passengers annually may offset CBP for the salaries and expenses of not more than five full-time equivalent CBP officers. Reimbursable services agreements will not replace existing services.
The entities selected for reimbursable services agreements in the air environment were:
- Air Canada (Philadelphia International Airport; Washington Dulles International Airport; Boston Logan International Airport; Buffalo Niagara International Airport; Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport; Los Angeles International Airport; John F. Kennedy International Airport; Newark Liberty International Airport; Denver International Airport; Oakland International Airport; King County International Airport - Boeing Field; and Seattle–Tacoma International Airport)
- Allegiant Air (Nashville International Airport)
- DDMR LLC (St. Pete–Clearwater International Airport)
- Firefly Entertainment, Inc. (Bangor International Airport; Los Angeles International Airport; Nashville International Airport; and Tampa International Airport)
- Flight Pro International, LLC (Washington Dulles International Airport; Bangor International Airport; George Bush Intercontinental Airport; Los Angeles International Airport; Birmingham–Shuttlesworth International Airport; Teterboro Airport; Denver International Airport; Brown Field Municipal Airport; and King County International Airport - Boeing Field)
- Frontier Airlines, Inc. (Raleigh–Durham International Airport; Buffalo Niagara International Airport; Kansas City International Airport; and St. Louis Lambert International Airport)
- Gate 301 Miami, Inc. (Miami-Opa Locka Executive Airport)
- MMR Constructors, Inc (Baton Rouge Metropolitan Airport)
- Nashville Hanger, LLC (Nashville International Airport)
- Steelcase, Inc. (Gerald R. Ford International Airport)
- Swift Air LLC dba iAero Airways (Raleigh–Durham International Airport; Boston Logan International Airport; Buffalo Niagara International Airport; Chicago O'Hare International Airport; John Glenn Columbus International Airport; Minneapolis–Saint Paul International Airport; William P. Hobby Airport; Nashville International Airport; Newark Liberty International Airport; Republic Airport; and Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport)
- Unifi Aviation, LLC (Hartsfield–Jackson Atlanta International Airport)
The entity selected for a reimbursable services agreement in the land environment was:
- TPI Composites, Inc. (Santa Teresa, NM)
The entities selected for reimbursable services agreements in the sea environment were:
- Atlantic Ship Agencies Inc (Savannah, GA; Philadelphia, PA; Miami, FL; and Port of New York and New Jersey)
- Chalmette Refining Co., LLC (New Orleans, LA)
- Delaware City Refining Co., LLC (Wilmington, DE)
- Husky Terminal (Tacoma, WA)
- Martinez Refining Co., LLC (San Francisco, CA)
- New Orleans Terminal, LLC (New Orleans, LA)
- Paulsboro Refining Co., LLC (Philadelphia, PA)
- Ports America Louisiana, LLC (New Orleans, LA)
- Texas Marine Agency, Inc (Lake Charles, LA)
- Torrance Refining Co., LLC (Los Angeles / Long Beach, CA)
CBP used a rigorous, multi-layered process to evaluate selectees’ proposals and ensure compatibility with CBP’s mission priorities.
The reimbursable services authority is a key component of CBP’s Resource Optimization Strategy, and will allow CBP to provide new or expanded services at domestic ports of entry reimbursed by the partner entity.