CBP (Customs and Border Protection)

What It Means

U.S. Customs and Border Protection was created on March 1, 2003 as part of the DHS reorganization, merging the inspection functions of legacy INS with the U.S. Customs Service, the Border Patrol, and the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service. CBP is the largest federal law enforcement agency by workforce, with over 60,000 employees including about 19,000 U.S. Border Patrol agents, 21,000 CBP officers at ports of entry, and 1,000 Air and Marine Operations agents. The agency operates 328 ports of entry covering airports (like IAD, JFK, LAX, ORD, and MIA), seaports, and land border crossings along the 1,954-mile U.S.-Mexico border and the 5,525-mile U.S.-Canada border. CBP officers process roughly 1 million travelers per day and handle over 60 million nonimmigrant admissions annually, stamping I-94 arrival/departure records electronically at air and sea ports and on paper at some land ports. Border Patrol agents operate between ports of entry and handle noncitizen apprehensions, Title 8 expedited removals under INA section 235(b), and Title 42 public health expulsions when in effect. Southwest border apprehensions have varied dramatically, from roughly 400,000 annual encounters in FY2018 to over 2.4 million in FY2023. CBP also administers trusted traveler programs (Global Entry, NEXUS, SENTRI), the Electronic System for Travel Authorization (ESTA) for Visa Waiver Program visitors from 41 participating countries, and agricultural inspections. Its Office of Field Operations uses the CBP One app and facial comparison biometric exit systems at an increasing number of air and land ports.

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