Our nation.
This generation
will lift a dark threat of violence from.
Our people and our future.
We will rally the world
to this cause by our efforts, by our courage.
We will not tire.
We will not falter.
And we will not fail.
As part of the Department of Homeland Security,
CBP was created by merging the finest traditions,
key functions,
and the most exceptional employees
of several legacy agencies.
Its mission was clear
to prevent terrorists
and weapons of mass destruction
from entering the country
while facilitating lawful trade and travel.
For the first time in our country's history,
we've established one
frontline law enforcement agency
at our nation's border
as guardians of our borders.
You protect our nation both at home
and between our ports of entry.
CBP has proudly shouldered
one of the most complex
missions in law enforcement.
The work we do touches
every aspect of our daily lives
from safeguarding international travel
and our borders
to ensuring the safety of the consumer goods
we import.
The men and women of CBP
have courageously
defended our borders with unwavering
vigilance and resolve.
CBP was the largest part
of the largest re-organization
of our federal government since World War Two.
We devised a defense strategy
to protect our economy and our nation,
and we built systems and centers
to assess the risk of cargo and passengers
coming to our shores from abroad.
CBP needed to be an intelligence
driven organization
in order to provide a comprehensive
understanding of U.S.
border security threats,
utilizing intelligence
and risk based
approach is still
a foundational part of our work.
We had to find a way to reduce
the size of the haystack.
We had to find a way to not concentrate
our incredible resources
on 99.9 percent of the people
and the things that were coming in
to the country.
We at CBP increasingly believe that they
are the same process, that in fact, we cannot
increase our security profile unless we expedite
the 99.5 percent of trade and travel
that is legitimate.
That's the way in
which we will actually
reduce the size of the haystack
so that we can focus our resources
on the dangerous people
and dangerous things,
or the high risk cargo and high risk person.
Our highly trained
agents, officers
and civilian employees rise
to meet every challenge every day.
To get the job done,
CBP works closely with other federal agencies,
as well as state and local law enforcement
and international partners.
In 2010,
CBP assisted the FBI
in capturing a terrorist
after a failed attack in New York
City's Times Square.
Our National Targeting center used
law enforcement
technology tools to prevent the individual
from fleeing the country.
This incident is another sobering
reminder of the times in which we live
around the world and here at home
there are those who would attack our citizens
and who would slaughter
innocent men, women and children in pursuit
of their murderous agenda.
And this suspect has been apprehended
because of close
and effective coordination at every level,
including our Joint Terrorism Task Force and U.S.
Customs and Border Protection.
CBP has pioneered effective ways
to extend our zone of security
outward, beyond our borders,
detecting and mitigating threats to the homeland
before they are realized.
After U.S.
intelligence work with international partners
to intercept two bombs concealed in printer
cartridges and placed on an aircraft
bound from Yemen to the United States,
CBP began
requiring additional information from airlines
flying to the U.S.
from five Middle Eastern countries.
On the mission side.
We are both a guardian of our nation's borders
and the gateway to the U.S. economy,
It's pretty compelling.
We're at the center of our government's efforts
to protect the United States against terrorists
and transnational crime, strengthen the U.S.
economy by welcoming growing trade and travel
and building the global system
with our partners in North America and abroad.
CBP is on the job twenty-four seven.
The stakes are high,
and there is zero margin for error.
Terrorists, smugglers and other criminals
only have to be right once.
We have to be right every time.
So our workforce lives up to CBP's core values;
vigilance, service to country and integrity.
Every day
faithfully
serving the American public
with unmatched bravery and tenacity
in carrying out our duties
to inspect inbound people, vehicles and cargo.
Our officers and agents have intercepted
42 million
pounds of dangerous narcotics in the past
20 years.
We are vigilant in our outbound
inspection operations as well,
seizing weapons and currency that fuel
the activity of drug cartels
and transnational criminal organizations.
I've gotten to see firsthand how integral our
mission is to the nation's
economic health and vitality
and the safety and security
of that global supply chain.
CBP's Office of Trade
has deftly consolidated
trade Policy,
Program Development
and compliance measurement functions,
and is deeply engaged with virtually
every sector of the global economy.
Border Patrol agents work tirelessly
in some of the harshest conditions
and unforgiving terrain
to secure our borders between ports of entry.
They have saved countless lives,
performing everything from emergency
first aid,
to delivering babies,
to rescuing potential
drowning and heat stroke victims.
Improving the international travel process
has also been a key focus of CBP.
We use state of the art biometric technologies
and we are constantly enhancing our programs
and procedures.
And CBP
agricultural specialists
are also on the frontline,
inspecting imported animal
and plant materials for invasive pests
and harmful diseases.
These inspections help to protect
not only consumers,
but also our crops,
livestock and natural resources.
Since its formation two decades ago,
CBP has developed
highly sophisticated air and marine
monitoring and response capabilities.
CBP's Air and Marine
operations cultivates both domain
and situational awareness
to predict,
detect, track, identify and resolve threats.
The dedicated men
and women of CBP are unsung heroes,
embodying sacrifice and selflessness.
CBP plays an instrumental role in our country's
national and homeland security.
Over the last two decades,
we have made tremendous progress
and without a doubt will make even more.
This is a direct reflection
of the dedication
and professionalism of our workforce.
Our vision is crystal clear; enhance
the nation's security through innovation,
intelligence, collaboration and trust.
Our mission is equally clear;
protect the American people,
safeguard our borders, and enhance
the nation's prosperity.
Our enduring mission priorities
are ambitious, yet non-negotiable,
if we are to fulfill our promises
to the American people
and our international partners.
Whether we are protecting our borders,
safeguarding our skies and waterways,
or inspecting travelers and examining cargo
each and every CBP employee
makes an indelible contribution
to CBP success as the nation’s
premier law enforcement agency.
CBP is and will continue
to be the nation's premier law enforcement agency
and the world's leader in border security
while facilitating legitimate trade and travel.
Please join us in celebrating this great agency
and our 20th anniversary.