U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) is the largest
federal law enforcement agency of the United States Department of Homeland
Security. It is charged with regulating and facilitating international trade,
collecting import duties, and enforcing U.S. regulations, including trade,
customs, and immigration. CBP is the largest law enforcement agency in the
United States. It has its headquarters in Washington, D.C.
While its primary mission is preventing terrorists and
terrorist weapons from entering the United States, CBP is also responsible for
apprehending individuals attempting to enter the United States illegally,
including those with a criminal record, stemming the flow of illegal drugs and
other contraband, protecting United States agricultural and economic interests
from harmful pests and diseases, and protecting American businesses from
intellectual property theft.
The United States Border Patrol (USBP) is an American
federal law enforcement agency. Its mission is to detect and prevent illegal
aliens, terrorists and terrorist weapons from entering the United States, and
prevent illegal trafficking of people and contraband. It is the mobile,
uniformed law enforcement arm of U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), a
component of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS).
The U.S. Border Patrol Agent (as opposed to Officer) is a
federal law enforcement agent actively patrolling a U.S. border to prevent persons
from entering or leaving the United States without government permission.
Agents detect and prevent the smuggling and unlawful entry of aliens into the
United States, along with apprehending those people found to be in violation of
immigration laws. Agents work to lower crimes and improve the quality of life
in border communities. In some areas, Agents are deputized or have
peace-officer status and use it to enforce local and state/territory laws. More
than 20,000 Border Patrol Agents safeguard nearly 6,000 miles of land border
the United States shares with Canada and Mexico, and more than 2,000 miles of
coastal waters.
One of the most important activities for a United States
Border Patrol Agent is "line watch". This involves the detection,
prevention and apprehension of terrorists, illegal aliens and smugglers of both
aliens and contraband at or near the land border by maintaining surveillance
from a covert position, following up leads, responding to electronic sensor
television systems, aircraft sightings, and interpreting and following tracks,
marks and other physical evidence. Some of the major activities are farm and
ranch check, traffic check, traffic observation, city patrol, transportation
check, administrative, intelligence, and anti-smuggling activities.
