One Independent Federal Law Enforcement DHS Agency Assignment

One Independent Federal Law Enforcement DHS Agency - Assignment Example Introduction As a response to the September 11 terrorist attacks, the U.S. government signed the Homeland Security Act in 2002, establishing the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) charged with primary responsibilities in terrorism prevention and response alongside emergency planning and response (DHS, 2002). This important agency operates through various divisions including U.S Customs and Border Protection, U.S Coast Guard, U.S Secret Service, Federal Emergency Management Agency and the U.S Citizenship and Immigration Services. This study narrows down to the operations of the U.S Customs and Border Protection (CBP) division, noting the primary and subsidiary roles of the agency and how these two roles impact on the agency’s ability to execute its primary responsibility. Further, preparation of agents for operations and how the agency interacts with state and local law enforcement agencies is analyzed. 1. The CBP division of the DHS is primarily charged with preventing terr orists and terrorist weapons from having access to the United States. To pursue this role, the CBP guards about 9000 miles of land border (Canada and Mexico- 7000 miles) and water border (coastal waters-2000 miles). Further, the agency collaborates with the U.S Coast Guard division of the DHS to guard 95,000 miles of maritime border. The operations of the CBP in counterterrorism are geared towards the official ports of entry in the borders while air and marine patrols are undertaken to further deter terrorism. The CBP also undertakes prevention and response against agro-terrorism and bioterrorism. At the points of entry, the CBP undertakes a number of field activities to prevent terrorism including cargo inspection, immigration inspection program and automated targeting systems. Between the border points of entry, mobile units for patrol purposes are deployed. On the air front, the agency utilizes 700 pilots and 290 airplanes several types including unmanned ones. Lastly, the marine front is backed with 360 marine agents who work in coordination with the air division to interdict and repulse any terrorist activities (CBP, 2010). With all this capacity, the CBP is an important division of the DHS in terms of the objectives of the latter’s formation in counterterrorism. It maintains the largest law enforcement manpower in the USA indicating prioritization made about terrorism. 2. The CBP agency also undertakes several other roles besides its primary counterterrorism activities. 3. One of these non-counterterrorism roles of the CBP are in terms of trade. Through maintenance of close relationships with the government, trade parties and foreign governments, the CBP facilitates the occurrence of legitimate trade through serving as a U.S trade laws enforcement agency. This is undertaken through prevention of counterfeit trade at the official points of entry and through patrolling non-point of entry areas. The CBP not only inspects arriving cargo (about 25 mill ion containers arriving each year at U.S seaport, airports and through rail) but also ensures revenue for these is properly collected (CBP, 2010). To further support its roles in trade, the CBP maintains a trade support network, provides traders with information for locating ports of entry, publishes trade newsletters, maintains information about import trends, commodity status reports, tariff rates, quota