McALLEN, Texas (Border Report) — The South Texas border city Laredo will soon be the location for a new field office to help rapidly screen cargo and reduce terrorism threats at the border.
U.S. Rep. Henry Cuellar, D-Texas, this week announced that U.S. Customs and Border Protection, thought a public-private partnership with trade companies, will soon open the Customs-Trade Partnership Against Terrorism (C-TPAT) field office at the World Trade Bridge in Laredo.
This comes as the World Trade Bridge is undergoing a multi-lane expansion project that this summer received presidential approval.
The agency says C-TPAT “serves as a critical layer in U.S. Customs and Border Protection’s multi-layered security strategy,” according to a document obtained by Border Report.
The program allows CBP to work with the trade community “to strengthen international supply chains and improve United States border security,” the document says.
A border officer screens a truck entering the World Trade Bridge in Laredo, Texas, on Feb. 23, 2022. (Sandra Sanchez/Border Report File Photo)
The 23-year-old program is voluntary and allows CBP to streamline cargo security by working with businesses and stakeholders in the international supply chain. This includes: importers, carriers, consolidators, licensed customs brokers and manufacturers.
It was founded after the 9/11 terrorist attacks in conjunction with seven major importers on the U.S. borders with Mexico and Canada. It has since expanded to include over 10,500 “certified partners,” the agency says.
To be a partner, a company must submit information and a security profile through an agency portal system and pass CBP records checks, as well as an onsite visit that pre-screens companies and helps to streamline their cargo security checks when crossing at ports, in accordance with the SAFE Port Act of 2006.
This includes “front-of-the-line privileges” and special designated lanes for C-TPAT cargo that can save companies money in transportation, labor and spoiled product costs.
The new field office, which is not yet operational, will conduct screenings in the Laredo border region, Border Report has learned.
Funding for this office was through the Fiscal Year 2024 budget, said Cuellar, who is on the House Homeland Security Appropriations Subcommittee.
Laredo’s World Trade Bridge links to Nuevo Laredo, Mexico, and is the No. 1 port of entry for commercial vehicles on the Southwest border.
“Laredo is home to the nation’s number one port of entry, and we need every resource available to ensure it is not only secure but also able to process trade efficiently,” Cuellar said.
Laredo has four vehicular bridges, including the World Trade Bridge, as well as one railroad port.
In Fiscal Year 2023, the ports processed $320 billion in total trade, according to the Laredo Economic Development Corp.
Cuellar says during FY 2023, Laredo processed $211 billion in imports — 69% of which was through trade partnerships with C-TPAT entities.
In the past year, there have been several instances of the World Trade Bridge temporarily shutting down due to failed cargo inspection software by Mexican officials.
In June, President Joe Biden signed off on a multi-million dollar expansion of the World Trade Bridge while an environmental assessment is still ongoing.
The project will add a new eight-lane northbound bridge, and expand from eight lanes to 10 the existing bridge span for commercial truck traffic.
Sandra Sanchez can be reached at SSanchez@BorderReport.com.
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