Narrator: In the aftermath of 9/11, the world continues to be a very dangerous place.
The headlines are loud and clear.
But behind the scenes, U.S. Customs and Border Protections National Targeting Center
works quickly and quietly every day to identify people and products
who pose potential threats to our Nation's security, and to stop them from entering the United States.
Kemisha D. Sherrell: The National Targeting Center employs highly skilled targeting specialists
using state-of-the-art technologies to identify high-risk people and cargo
in the air, land and sea environments, both entering and leaving the United States.
We carefully target and coordinate examination of the small percentage of shipments
and travelers who may be connected to terrorism or other transnational crimes,
such as narcotics smuggling, human trafficking, merchandise counterfeiting, and money laundering.
Well, simply put, we connect the dots, analyzing all different kinds of information
to identify threats not readily apparent.
Narrator: The NTC team provides critical intelligence and information about individuals and cargo
directly to frontline CBP officers and agents serving in both domestic and international duty locations.
The NTC is a prime example of how CBP continues to push our zone of security outward,
working closely with our international partners to disrupt threats as far from the homeland as possible.
By identifying high-risk passengers and cargo well before they would cross our land borders,
sail into our ports, or touch down on our tarmacs,
the NTC team is on duty to protect our people and economy 24/7.
Having access to this information enables CBP to identify threats early in the transit process
and to keep these individuals from boarding aircraft destined to the United States.
The numbers are staggering.
On a typical day, the NTC vets data on over 250,000 airline passengers,
generating thousands of targeting hits every day -
prompting meticulous research across agency and national boundaries -
to determine whether these individuals are high-risk travelers.
Thomas W. Sutton: We have the intelligence and resources at the NTC
to discover information about the traveler before the boarding process in their country.
This is one of many tools available to help protect the homeland from those who could do us harm.
Listen: there's no margin for error.
Terrorists only have to be right one time.
We have to be right every time.
Narrator: On the cargo side, the NTC targets and coordinates examinations of high-risk cargo,
ensuring that high-risk shipments arriving to the United States by all modes of transportation -
be it by air, by maritime vessel, by truck or rail over land -
are safe and admissible prior to arrival.
That includes targeting agricultural and biological shipments
which have a nexus to terrorism and national security,
then referring the suspect shipments to the receiving U.S. port of entry
for a further examination before the cargo is permitted to enter the U.S.
The NTC team also investigates entities involved in many criminal activities,
including trade-based money laundering.
NTC targeting capabilities are also used to
intercept all types of illegal and dangerous narcotics, including synthetic drugs.
The NTC team also helps protect intellectual property rights
by working with CBP's industry partners, other Federal agencies, and foreign governments
to fight cross-border trade in bogus merchandise.
The NTC has a robust tradition of collaboration with the field,
the intelligence and law enforcement communities,
and on-site liaisons with numerous agencies and select foreign countries.
This worldwide collaboration is key to enabling the NTC to meet its critical mission.
But the NTC team doesn't stop only threats entering the country.
It also identifies and intercepts high-risk people and cargo exiting the country -
whether it's fugitives escaping justice,
or even weapons and cash destined to cartels and other criminal organizations.
Since its creation in the aftermath of 9/11,
the NTC has remained vigilant in its efforts to prevent terrorism
and criminal activity from hurting our country.
For example, in 2010, the NTC team used law enforcement intelligence and technology tools
to prevent Faisal Shazhad - the Times Square Bomber - from fleeing the country.
The NTC identified his flight, and notified CBP officers at John F. Kennedy International Airport,
who successfully intercepted Shazhad
just moments before the international aircraft he was on was about to depart.
In another operation, the NTC team provided CBP officers at the Atlanta Hartsfield Jackson International Airport
with the information they needed to catch a suspected serial killer
who had terrorized victims in Michigan and Virginia.
He was apprehended moments before he could board an international flight bound for the Middle East.
The men and women on the National Targeting Center team are unsung heroes,
working tirelessly to ensure the safety and security of our homeland every day -
in the process, earning CBP a well-deserved reputation as the model for other countries to emulate
in their own efforts to combat terrorism and bring criminals to justice.
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