AGENCIES TYPICALLY LOCATED AT LPOE

General Services Administration (GSA), Public Buildings Service—The GSA, through their Public Buildings Service, is responsible for the design and construction of land ports of entry as well as the leasing of some land ports of entry. GSA also provides general management and takes care of various tasks, such as maintenance and repair, at the land ports of entry.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP)—CBP facilitates legitimate trade and travel while using all of the resources at its disposal to protect and defend the United States from those who would do the United States harm. Generally, CBP inspects goods and people seeking entry into the U.S. at land ports of entry. Depending on the need a secondary inspection may be conducted by either CBP, Veterinary Services (VS), or the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The U.S. Border Patrol is part of CBP, but does not participate in inspections at the land ports of entry.

The Department of Transportation’s Federal Highway Administration (FHWA)—The FHWA works with its state, federal, and international partners to ensure the safe and efficient movement of people and goods across borders. With its counterparts in Mexico and Canada, FHWA creates joint working groups to cooperate on addressing the challenges of improving mobility and security at overland border crossings.The FHWA’s offices will review the projects to make sure they meet eligibility requirements based on information provided by the states. Additionally, the FHWA ensuresCanadian or Mexican officials have provided satisfactory assurances that the project will be constructed to standards equivalent to those in the United States.

U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA)—FDA conducts inspections to control the import of foods, drugs, cosmetics, medical devices, biological products, animal feeds and drugs, and radiation-emitting instruments. For more than a year, CBP has worked with the Food and Drug Administration to enforce two key provisions of the Bio-Terrorism Act of 2002—the registration of facilities that manufacture, process, or hold food for import into the U.S., and the prior notice of those shipments presented for entry. More than 8,000 CBP Officers and Agriculture Specialists have been trained and certified to detect and intercept shipments and to perform Bio-Terrorism Act-related work at more than 300 ports of entry.

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (F&WS)—FWS regulates the importation of birds protected by the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) and the Wild Bird Conservation Act of 1992 (WBCA).

Department of Justice’s Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS)—The DOJ, whose law enforcement branches (the Federal Bureauof Investigation and Drug Enforcement Agency) coordinate with CBP and Bureau of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agentswhen their investigations involve immigration violations.

Center for Disease Control (CDC)—The CDC develops and implements strategies to monitor for diseases on people, animals, cargo, and conveyances arriving at the U.S.’s ports of entry. The CDC reviews operations to ensure it effectively applies scientific data to programs used to monitor the importation ofquarantinable and other specified diseases.

Bureau of Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE)—ICE’s mission is to detect and prevent terrorist and criminal acts by targeting the people,money, and materials that support terrorist and criminal networks. Unlike CBP, whose jurisdiction is confined to law enforcement activities along theborder, ICE special agents investigate immigrations and customs violations in the interiorof the United States. ICE is also responsible for the collection, analysis anddissemination of strategic and tactical intelligence data pertaining to homeland security,infrastructure protection, and the illegal movement of people, money, and cargo within the United States.

The Transportation Security Administration (TSA)—The TSA was created as a direct result of the events of September 11 and is chargedwith protecting the United States’ air, land, and rail transportation systems to ensurefreedom of movement for people and commerce.

U.S. Border Patrol (USBP)—The USBP enforces U.S.immigration law and other federal laws between official ports of entry along the border and in the interiorof the United States. As currently comprised, theUSBP is the uniformed law enforcement arm of the Department of Homeland security. Its primary mission is to detect and prevent the entry of terrorists, weapons of massdestruction, and unauthorized aliens into the country, and to interdict drug smugglers andother criminals.

Department of Agriculture (USDA)—The USDAestablishes the agricultural policies that CBP Inspectorsexecute. Among other things, the USDA implements stray animal control policies, provides inspection services when imported animals are re-assembled after importation, and assists with notification of livestock movement to receiving states. USDA also works with Homeland Security border inspectors to train inspectors and set policy for plants, animals, and commodities entering the United States. USDA employs new Import Surveillance Liaison Inspectors, who are stationed around the nation at Import Houses and ports of entry to enhance surveillance of imported products.

Central Intelligence Agency (CIA)—The CIA isan important player in the efforts to keep terrorists and other foreign agents from enteringthe country. The CIA informs INS officers of potential terrorists, including possible operatives trying to enter the United States.

For more information about GSA’s Land Ports of Entry Program, visit / LAST UPDATED: 12/21/2018