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United States Customs, US Customs and Border Protection
Until March
2003, the United States Customs Service was an agency of the U.S.
federal government that collected import tariffs and performed other
selected border security duties.
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Before it was
dissolved to form part of the U.S.
Department of Homeland Security as the Bureau of Customs and Border
Protection and Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
The United States
Customs Service had three major missions:
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Collecting tariff revenue
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Protecting the U.S. economy from smuggling and illegal goods
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Processing people and goods at ports of entry
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U.S. Customs
and Border Protection
U.S. Customs
and Border Protection is a federal law enforcement agency of the United
States Department of Homeland Security
charged with regulating and facilitating international trade,
collecting import duties, and enforcing hundreds of U.S. regulations,
including trade, drug and immigration laws.
The primary mission of the U.S. Customs and Border Protection agency is
preventing terrorists and terrorist weapons from entering the United
States. The U.S. Customs and Border Protection is also responsible for
apprehending individuals attempting to enter the United States
illegally, stemming the flow of illegal drugs and other contraband,
protecting the United States agricultural and economic interests from
harmful pests and diseases, and protecting American businesses from
theft of their intellectual
property.
U.S. Customs and Border
Protection works closely with its sister agency, U.S. Immigration and
Customs Enforcement, which is responsible for long-term investigations
of criminal and terrorist organizations seeking to penetrate American
border security. These cases include the smuggling of narcotics, goods,
weapons, and humans into the United States.
Visit the U.S. Customs website for more
information.
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