(Redirected from U.S. Customs)Until March 2003, the 'United States Customs Service' was the portion of the
U.S. Federal Government dedicated to keeping illegal products outside of U.S.
borders. It also regulated what could leave the United States and was partially responsible for who could enter the United States.
Organization
Operations were divided into three components- the first of which was the 'Office of Field Operations' (OFO) which handled
duties and tax penalties along with helping to prevent
contraband from entering the United States. It was primarily made up of Inspectors that served as the "front-line" of Customs by monitoring and policing all international ports of entry into the United States, (land, sea or air); by screening incoming and outgoing international shipments of cargo; as well as inspecting
informal entries of dutiable goods by individuals through personal transport or shipment through international postal carriers (government and private). Inspectors also handled operations regarding smuggling of contraband into the United States and control the exportation of controlled or
strategic resources from the United States. Other OFO personnel included
Import Specialists,
Intelligence Officers, and other contracted personnel responsible for record keeping, handling
protest and
tax penalty arbitration along with other record support functions.
Import Specialists provided the backbone of OFO by providing expertise concerning proper classification of goods for the purpose of charging duties. The primary resource for determining duty classifications is the two volume
Harmonized Tariff Schedule for the United States or
HTSUS, which is updated annually. Import Specialists were divided into
Commodity Teams (CTs) which are assigned specific types of goods to specialize in. For example: one team may be assigned vehicles, vehicle components and ball bearings and another may be assigned clothing, textiles and toys. Each CT is assigned a more senior Import Specialist whose job it is to train Import Specialists that are new to a particular Commodity Team. These individuals are usually defacto experts in the analysis of goods that they are assigned and are often called upon to physically inspect goods entering (or petitioning to enter) the United States. They are primarily enagaged in activities concerning
Formal Entries which are handled by
Customs Brokerage Houses, but they also provide assistance in
Informal Entries.
The second operational component of the United States Customs Service was the 'Office of Investigations' or "OI." The Office of Investigations consisted of specialized sections of
Special Agents that were divided by common crimes regarding international affairs. Primary sections included
Financial Crimes,
Narcotics,
Strategic, and
Computer Forensics. The Office of Investigation also included an
Internal Affairs section that monitored and investigated allegations of misconduct and criminal activity within both the Office of Investigation and the Office of Field Operations. As part of the reorganization associated with the creation of the
Department of Homeland Security, the Office of Investigation was transferred to
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) on March 1, 2003.
The third operational component of the U.S. Customs Service was the 'Air and Marine Branch'. This component was primarily responsible for airborne and waterborne detection and interdiction of smuggled contraband, but also supported OI enforcement operations such as surveillance and the execution of high-risk warrants. Prior to March 1, 2003, the United States Customs Service operated the 8th largest fleet of aircraft in the world. After March 1, 2003 OFO was transferred to
U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), but the Air and Marine Branch remained with OI in the newly formed ICE. However, by the beginning of 2006 the decision was made to combine the ICE Air and Marine Branch with similar CBP air and marine assets to form
CBP Air and Marine Operations (AMO).
History of the United States Customs Service
Responding to the urgent need for revenue following the
American Revolutionary War, the First
United States Congress passed and President
George Washington signed the Tariff Act of
July 4,
1789, which authorized the collection of duties on imported goods. Four weeks later, on
July 31, the fifth act of Congress established the United States Customs Service and its ports of entry.
For over 100 years after its birth, the U.S. Customs Service was the primary source of funds for the entire government, and paid for the nation's early growth and infrastructure. Purchases include the
Louisiana and
Oregon territories;
Florida and
Alaska; funding the
National Road and the
Transcontinental Railroad; building many of the nation's
lighthouses; the
U.S. Military and
Naval academies, and
Washington D.C.
With the passage of the
Homeland Security Act, the U.S. Customs Service passed from under jurisdiction of the
Treasury Department to the
Department of Homeland Security.
On March 1, 2003, part of the U.S. Customs Service, along with the Inspections Program of the
Immigration and Naturalization Service and the
Border Patrol of the
Immigration and Naturalization Service combined to form
U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP). The
Federal Protective Service (FPS), the
Federal Air Marshals, along with the investigative arms from both the U.S. Customs Service and the Immigration and Naturalization Service combined to form
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
Examples of illegal items
★ 'All'
Cuban products without a specific license for their importation, such as
Cuban Cigars.
★ Illicit
Drugs
★ Unscreened
Fruits and
Meats
★ Excessive quantities of
textiles
★ Undeclared liquor over allowable limits
★ Tobacco products over allowable limits
★ Undeclared monies or monetary instruments over $10,000
Commissioners
This table lists all Commissioners of Customs, their dates of service, and under which administration they served.
Re-organisation
The U.S. Customs Service ceased to exist on March 1, 2003 when it was split and integrated into US Customs and Border Protection and US Immigration and Customs Enforcement, two new agencies. From 2003-2006 Robert C. Bonner was commissioner of the newly formed CBP.
See also
★
Computer Assisted Passenger Prescreening System
★
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement
External links
★
United States Customs & Border Protection
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