U.S. CUSTOMS: TRADE WINS IN REORGANIZATION OF BORDER SECURITY AGENCIES
The U.S. Bureau of Customs and Border Protection said Friday the agency is on an aggressive 90-day schedule to complete the transition of core people, processes and computer systems as Customs moved from the Treasury Department to the new Department of Homeland Security.
Andrew Maner, chief of staff to Commissioner Robert Bonner, said the recent consolidation of border security agencies within the Department of Homeland Security, many of them under the bureau's umbrella, provided an integrated chain of command that made for more efficient implementation of 'Code Orange' security measures, and therefore fewer delays for passengers and cargo at ports of entry.
'Now we can't say, 'Those are immigration laws. We don't know why there are back ups,' ' Maner said of the benefits of a centralized border authority.
Maner is leading the integration effort for Bonner.
Jay Ahern, assistant commissioner for field operations, told a business advisory panel Friday that permanent field directors could be in place within 45 days, after which permanent port directors will be named.
Customs officials praised the high degree of collaboration between the border security agency and companies responsible for handling international shipments, specifically citing the Customs-Trade Partnership Against Terrorism as a model for simultaneously improving security and the flow of goods.
The Container Security Initiative and C-TPAT are programs that give Customs the ability clear legitimate shipments even if the government increases alert levels again, Ahern explained during a meeting of the Treasury Advisory Committee on Commercial Operations.