Spotlights

By Marcy Mason It was a time of reflection with an eye toward the future when the 16th term of U.S. Customs and Border Protection’s trade advisory committee met for their last public meeting on Dec. 13, in Washington, D.C. Members of the Commercial Customs Operations Advisory Committee, known as COAC, were recognized for their meaningful contributions and thanked for their commitment, paving the way for the committee’s 17th term. “Service on the COAC is public service. It requires tremendous work and open minds. Our goal is to safeguard the national and economic security of the United States…

“When words fail, music speaks,” are the words sewn into a pillow given to Ana Rodriguez as a gift from one of her piano students. Rodriguez has shared her love of music free of charge for more than a decade, teaching piano lessons to nearly 60 students ranging from 4 to 18 years old. Music was a family affair from a very young age for Rodriguez, a senior auditor with the Office of Trade Regulatory Audit. She played the piano and the flute, her mother sang in the church choir, her father played the guitar, and her brother played the drums. Her grandfather would bring music books from Mexico...

Discussions began on a serious note when members of U.S. Customs and Border Protection’s trade advisory committee met virtually for their last public meeting of the fiscal year on Sept. 20. The Commercial Customs Operations Advisory Committee, known as COAC, received a sobering update on the rise in fentanyl seizures. “CBP’s fentanyl seizures have risen more than 800% since fiscal year 2019, and CBP has seized over 26,000 pounds of fentanyl as of today,” said Troy A. Miller, CBP’s senior official performing the duties of the commissioner, who co-chaired the meeting. “Our officers and agents...

The famous quote, “The Marines have landed and have the situation well in hand" was popularized by the late nineteenth-century journalist Richard Harding Davis, and today it is how Axel Davila’s arrival at U.S Customs and Border Protection (CBP) could be best described. Davila, who recently retired from the U.S. Marine Corps as a Master Gunnery Sergeant, reached out to the CBP national Veterans Employment Program Manager, Jeffrey Jack during his last active-duty assignment in Washington, D.C. The two discussed the DoD SkillBridge program, an opportunity for service-members to gain valuable...

U.S. Marine Corps veteran Yolanda Lazo puts great weight in her faith and her dreams. Currently serving as an executive assistant with U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), she took the time to reflect on her career journey that led her to D.C. and CBP’s Office of Chief Counsel (OCC).

Moving forward with U.S. Customs and Border Protection’s trade modernization initiative was the central focus when the Commercial Customs Operations Advisory Committee, known as COAC, met in Arlington, Virginia, on June 14. The meeting marked the conclusion of the 21st Century Customs Framework Task Force, which was created in 2021 to facilitate industry-government discussion on trade modernization priorities. CBP’s 21st Century Customs Framework is an initiative that was launched in March 2019 to identify solutions to current and future trade challenges and modernization barriers. “As today’…

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...