U.S. Customs Service Reassigned to Dept of Homeland Security
 
April 22, 2003
 

After 213 years of partnership with the U.S. Department of the Treasury, as of March 1, 2003, the United States Customs Service has been reorganized under the new U.S. Department of Homeland Security. This transformation of operations has placed the U.S. Customs Service under the Directorate of Border and Transportation Security (BTS), and divided its functions between two new separate bureaus of the BTS, the Bureau of Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and the Bureau of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). The CBP will focus on certain operations designed to implement the movement of goods, as well as individuals across borders. Robert C. Bonner was sworn in as the 17th Commissioner of the U.S. Customs Service on September 24, 2001, and will continue his role as Commissioner of the newly formed CBP, reporting directly to the Under Secretary for the BTS, Asa Hutchinson. The ICE will consolidate the former Customs Service investigative and enforcement activities with those same functions of the former Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS) and the Federal Protective Services. In January 2003, President Bush nominated Michael J. Garcia to lead the ICE as its Assistant Secretary, who will also report directly to the Under Secretary for the BTS. Prior to his service as the Acting Commissioner of the former INS, Mr. Garcia was the Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Export Enforcement.