Customs and Border Protection: Stakeholder Engagement

The private sector plays an instrumental role in the global economy and has a unique opportunity to lend their considerable expertise to CBP. By partnering with industry leaders, CBP links our processes with modern business practices, which results in enhanced compliance with trade laws, improves our facilitation and enforcement efforts, and assists the U.S. economy.

OFFICE OF TRADE RELATIONS (OTR)

The Office of Trade Relations (OTR) is responsible for ensuring that accurate, timely, and consistent information is provided to the international trade community on CBP trade policy, as established by the agency. The Director of OTR is the designated regulatory fairness representative for the agency, with responsibility for promoting compliance with the Small Business Regulatory Enforcement Fairness Act. The Director is also the Designated Federal Officer (DFO) for the Advisory Committee on Commercial Operations to U.S. Customs and Border Protection (COAC). As such, OTR is responsible for managing CBP’s engagement with COAC and supporting the Commissioner in performing his duties as Co-Chair of the COAC.

ADVISORY COMMITTEES

Commercial Customs Operations Advisory Committee (COAC)

COAC shall advise the Secretaries of the Department of the Treasury and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) on the commercial operations of Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and related DHS and Treasury functions.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection User Fee Advisory Committee (UFAC)

UFAC shall advise the Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) on issues related to the performance of airport and seaport inspections coinciding with the assessment of an agriculture, customs, or immigration user fee.

OUTREACH

Trade Symposiums

The CBP Trade Symposium is an annual event that brings together executives and managers from a broad spectrum of the international trade community and CBP for a discussion of the agency’s top priorities and initiatives.

Webinars

CBP hosts trade outreach events via free webinars to provide more timely and up-to-date information to the international trade community on CBP trade policy, as established by the agency.

SMALL BUSINESS REGULATORY ENFORCEMENT ACT (SBREFA)

The signing of SBREFA into law created a Small Business Administration National Ombudsman and ten Regional Regulatory Fairness Boards to oversee the implementation of the Act. One of the recommendations by the National Ombudsman and the Fairness Boards was for each agency to designate an impartial party to serve as a Regulatory Fairness Representative contact for small businesses.

The Director of Trade Relations for U.S. Customs and Border Protection was selected by the Commissioner to serve as the Regulatory Fairness Representative for the agency and is responsible for performing as the link between the international trading community and senior CBP managers.

Operational and Support Components

DHS is a critical government department engaged in trade compliance and security for the global supply chain.

A listing of all Operational and Support Components with websites or webpages on DHS.gov that currently make up the Department of Homeland Security.

United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS)

United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) secures America’s promise as a nation of immigrants by providing accurate and useful information to our customers, granting immigration and citizenship benefits, promoting an awareness and understanding of citizenship, and ensuring the integrity of our immigration system.

United States Customs and Border Protection (CBP)

United States Customs and Border Protection (CBP) is one of the Department of Homeland Security’s largest and most complex components, with a priority mission of keeping terrorists and their weapons out of the U.S. It also has a responsibility for securing and facilitating trade and travel while enforcing hundreds of U.S. regulations, including immigration and drug laws.

United States Coast Guard (USCG)

The United States Coast Guard is one of the five armed forces of the United States and the only military organization within the Department of Homeland Security. The Coast Guard protects the maritime economy and the environment, defends our maritime borders, and saves those in peril.

Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA)

The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) supports our citizens and first responders to ensure that as a nation we work together to build, sustain, and improve our capability to prepare for, protect against, respond to, recover from, and mitigate all hazards.

Federal Law Enforcement Training Center (FLETC)

The Federal Law Enforcement Training Center provides career-long training to law enforcement professionals to help them fulfill their responsibilities safely and proficiently.

United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE)

United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) promotes homeland security and public safety through the criminal and civil enforcement of federal laws governing border control, customs, trade, and immigration.

Transportation Security Administration (TSA)

The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) protects the nation’s transportation systems to ensure freedom of movement for people and commerce.

United States Secret Service (USSS)

The United States Secret Service (USSS) safeguards the nation’s financial infrastructure and payment systems to preserve the integrity of the economy, and protects national leaders, visiting heads of state and government, designated sites, and National Special Security Events.

Directorate for Management

The Directorate for Management is responsible for budget, appropriations, expenditure of funds, accounting and finance; procurement; human resources and personnel; information technology systems; facilities, property, equipment, and other material resources; and identification and tracking of performance measurements relating to the responsibilities of the Department.

National Protection and Programs Directorate

The goal of the National Protection and Programs Directorate is to advance the Department’s risk-reduction mission. Reducing risk requires an integrated approach that encompasses both physical and virtual threats and their associated human elements.

Science and Technology Directorate

The Science and Technology Directorate is the primary research and development arm of the Department. It provides federal, state, and local officials with the technology and capabilities to protect the homeland.

Domestic Nuclear Detection Office

The mission of the Domestic Nuclear Detection Office is to prevent nuclear terrorism by continuously improving capabilities to deter, detect, respond to, and attribute attacks, in coordination with domestic and international partners.

Office of Health Affairs

OHA provides medical, public health, and scientific expertise in support of the Department of Homeland Security mission to prepare for, respond to, and recover from all threats.

Office of Intelligence and Analysis

The Office of Intelligence and Analysis equips the Homeland Security Enterprise with the timely intelligence and information it needs to keep the homeland safe, secure, and resilient.

Office of Operations Coordination

The Office of Operations Coordination provides information daily to the Secretary of Homeland Security, senior leaders, and the homeland security enterprise to enable decision-making; oversees the National Operations Center; and leads the Department’s Continuity of Operations and Government Programs to enable continuation of primary mission essential functions in the event of a degraded or crisis operating environment.

Office of Policy

The DHS Office of Policy serves as the department’s principal source of thought leadership, policy development, and decision analysis for DHS senior leadership, secretarial initiatives, and for other critical matters that may arise in a dynamic threat environment.