WASHINGTON—U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) will help secure and participate in the 58th Presidential Inauguration and Inaugural Parade tomorrow in Washington D.C. This Presidential Inaugural Parade marks a significant milestone for the agency as it will be the first time all CBP uniformed components, Air and Marine Operations (AMO), Office of Field Operations (OFO), and U.S. Border Patrol, are participating.
Agents and officers have participated in inaugural security duties for many years and are also routinely deputized for other special events such as Papal visits, the Olympics, the Super Bowl and in times of natural disasters. CBP personnel have been helping to secure areas around and in Washington D.C.—AMO agents will be in the air providing live video feed to law enforcement on the ground and on the Potomac River securing waterways around tomorrow’s event while U.S. Border Patrol agents and CBP officers, who were deputized today by the U.S. Capitol Police, will assist in securing landmarks and the parade route tomorrow.
U.S. Border Patrol will return to the parade with its Honor Guard, Rifle Team, Pipes and Drums unit and a Horse Patrol unit from the Rio Grande Valley Sector in Texas. The Honor Guard from OFO and AMO will also be representing CBP in the Inaugural Parade, marching and carrying the flags of their respective components.
The history of CBP is diverse. With more than 60,000 employees, CBP is one of the world’s largest law enforcement organizations and is charged with keeping terrorists and their weapons out of the U.S. while facilitating lawful international travel and trade. As the United States’ first unified border entity, CBP takes a comprehensive approach to border management and control, combining customs, immigration, border security, and agricultural protection into one coordinated and supportive activity.
The Office of Field Operations was originally created as the U.S. Customs Service on July 31, 1789, and is one of the oldest agencies in the federal government. When CBP was created in 2003, the men and women of the Customs Service were joined by the inspectors of the U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Service and the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service in one uniform and one shared mission. OFO today consists of 30,000 personnel.
U.S. Border Patrol was created on May 28, 1924 as part of the Immigration and Naturalization Service. More than 25,000 agents joined CBP upon the creation of the agency in 2003.
AMO began its distinguished service to the nation with the creation of the U.S. Revenue Marine in 1790, piloting the original ten Customs Revenue Cutters. It expanded its operations in 1961 with the creation of the Customs Air Interdiction Program in 1969, and was established as its own component of CBP in 2004. On January 17, 2006, CBP merged its air and marine assets into the organization of today. AMO has 1,800 federal agents and mission support personnel dedicated to serving and protecting the American people.
