The United States secretary of homeland security is the head of the United States Department of Homeland Security,the federal department tasked with ensuring public safety in the United States. The secretary is a member of the Cabinet of the United States. The position was created by the Homeland Security Act following the attacks of September 11,2001.
The United States Border Patrol (USBP) is a federal law enforcement agency under the United States Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and is responsible for securing the borders of the United States. According to its web site in 2022,its mission is to "Protect the American people,safeguard our borders,and enhance the nation’s economic prosperity."
The Lower Rio Grande Valley,commonly known as the Rio Grande Valley or locally as the Valley or RGV,is a region spanning the border of Texas and Mexico located in a floodplain of the Rio Grande near its mouth. The region includes the southernmost tip of South Texas and a portion of northern Tamaulipas,Mexico. It consists of the Brownsville,Harlingen,Weslaco,Pharr,McAllen,Edinburg,Mission,San Juan,and Rio Grande City metropolitan areas in the United States and the Matamoros,Río Bravo,and Reynosa metropolitan areas in Mexico. The area is generally bilingual in English and Spanish,with a fair amount of Spanglish due to the region's diverse history and transborder agglomerations. It is home to some of the poorest cities in the nation,as well as many unincorporated,persistent poverty communities called colonias. A large seasonal influx occurs of "winter Texans" —people who come down from the north for the winter and then return north before summer arrives.
The United States Customs Service was a federal law enforcement agency of the U.S. federal government. Established on July 31,1789,it collected import tariffs,performed other selected border security duties,as well as conducted criminal investigations.
United States Customs and Border Protection (CBP) is the largest federal law enforcement agency of the United States Department of Homeland Security. It is the country's primary border control organization,charged with regulating and facilitating international trade,collecting import duties,as well as enforcing U.S. regulations,including trade,customs and immigration. CBP is one of the largest law enforcement agencies in the United States. It has a workforce of more than 45,600 federal agents and officers. It is headquartered in Washington,D.C.
Air and Marine Operations (AMO) is a federal law enforcement component within U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP),an agency of the United States Department of Homeland Security (DHS). AMO's mission is to protect the American people and nation's critical infrastructure through the coordinated use of air and marine assets to detect,interdict and prevent acts of terrorism and the unlawful movement of people,illegal drugs,and other contraband toward or across the borders of the United States. Air and Marine Operations Agents and Officers are endowed with the authority to enforce Title 8 and Title 19 (Customs) of the United States Code in addition to the general law enforcement powers bestowed upon federal law enforcement agents.
William Ralph Basham Jr. is an American law enforcement official who served as commissioner of U.S. Customs and Border Protection,director of the United States Secret Service,director of the Federal Law Enforcement Training Centers,and chief of staff of the Transportation Security Administration.
The Border Patrol Tactical Unit (BORTAC) is the tactical unit of the United States Border Patrol. In 2007,BORTAC was placed under the command of the newly formed Special Operations Group (SOG) together with the Border Patrol Search,Trauma,and Rescue Unit (BORSTAR).
Alan D. Bersin served as the Commissioner of U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP). Commissioner Bersin was appointed by President Barack Obama on March 27,2010 as a recess appointment. As Commissioner,Mr. Bersin oversaw the operations of CBP’s 57,000-employee work force and managed an operating budget of more than $11 billion. Bersin formerly served as the Department of Homeland Security Assistant Secretary for International Affairs and Special Representative for Border Affairs,informally known as the "Border Czar." Bersin later served as Assistant Secretary of International Affairs and Chief Diplomatic Officer for the Department of Homeland Security,a position he assumed on January 3,2012 and held until January 2017.
The Secure Electronic Network for Travelers Rapid Inspection (SENTRI) provides expedited U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) processing,at the U.S.-Mexico border,of pre-approved travelers considered low-risk. Voluntarily applicants must undergo a thorough background check against criminal,customs,immigration,law enforcement,and terrorist databases;a 10-fingerprint law enforcement check;and a personal interview with a CBP Officer. The total enrollment fee is $122.50,and SENTRI status is valid for 5 years.
SBInet, the Secure Border Initiative Network,was a program initiated in 2006 for a new integrated system of personnel,infrastructure,technology,and rapid response to secure the northern and southern land borders of the United States. It was a part of Secure Border Initiative (SBI),an overarching program of the United States Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to organize the four operating components of border security:U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP),U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement,United States Citizenship and Immigration Services,and the United States Coast Guard. DHS announced the program's cancellation on Jan. 14,2011.
Mark A. Morgan is an American law enforcement official who served as the Chief Operating Officer and acting Commissioner of U.S. Customs and Border Protection from July 5,2019,to January 20,2021.
Jaime Jorge Zapata was an Immigration and Customs Enforcement,Homeland Security Investigations Special Agent who was ambushed and murdered by the Mexican criminal group Los Zetas in San Luis Potosí,Mexico. He was one of two agents who were ambushed in a part of the country that was increasingly under the influence of drug violence. Zapata's death was the second highest-profile killing of a U.S. agent in Mexico—the first one was Enrique Camarena,an undercover DEA agent who was tortured and murdered by the former Guadalajara Cartel.
Michael J. Fisher served as Chief of the United States Border Patrol and was a member of the Senior Executive Service from 2010 to 2015.
The United States Customs and Border Protection Authorization Act is a bill that would authorize the Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and its mission and direct the CBP in the United States Department of Homeland Security to establish standard procedures for addressing complaints made against CBP employees and to enhance training for CBP officers and agents.
Ronald Donato Vitiello is an American government official and former U.S. Border patrol agent who served as deputy director and acting director of the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement from June 30,2018 to April 12,2019. He previously served as acting deputy commissioner of the U.S. Customs and Border Protection from 2017 to 2018 and chief of the United States Border Patrol in 2017. In 2018,U.S. president Donald Trump awarded Vitiello a Presidential Rank Award for Distinguished Executive in the Senior Executive Service.
Kevin Kealoha McAleenan is an American attorney and government official who unlawfully served as the acting United States secretary of homeland security from April to November 2019.
Carla L. Provost is a retired American government official who served as the Chief of the United States Border Patrol from August 2018 through January 2020. She was the first woman to serve as Chief of the Border Patrol,a career law enforcement position. Provost held numerous positions during her 25-year career in the Border Patrol,including serving as Deputy Chief beginning in October 2016,and Acting Chief from April 2017 until her promotion in August 2018.
John P. Sanders is an American technologist and business executive,who is the former Acting Commissioner of U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP).
