Review Of U S Customs Service Operations

Explains process of importing goods into the U.S., including informed compliance, invoices, duty assessments, classification and value, marking requirements, etc.

The prior disclosure provision contained in 19 U.S.C. ¤ 1592 provides reduced penalties to a person who notifies CBP of the circumstances of a violation of the customs laws and regulations, before CBP or U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE)/Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) discovers the possible violation and notifies the party of the discovery of the possible violation. In certain cases, a valid prior disclosure may result in either substantial mitigation or cancellation of a penalty in full. Valid prior disclosures can save a person time and money, but all parties (including CBP) must be aware of the prior disclosure requirements in order to realize the benefits of this provision of law. The official CBP policy is to encourage the submission of valid prior disclosures. It is important to remember that this ICP only involves prior disclosures submitted pursuant to 19 U.S.C. ¤ 1592.

Provides general overview and addresses three major areas of interest for all importers (compliance, enforcement, trade security). The book covers: -Fundamental elements of lawful importation, i.e., the importation process itself, classification, valuation, marking, and duty savings opportunities -Importer's recordkeeping obligations -Administrative and judicial review of CBP's decisions -CBP's auditing of importers' operations to determine compliance -Liquidated damages, penalties, and seizures -Government efforts to assure cargo security in aftermath of September 11.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), within the Dept. of Homeland Security (DHS), is responsible for securing U.S. borders to prevent acts of terrorism and the unlawful movement of people, illegal drugs, and other contraband toward or across U.S. borders. Within CBP, the Office of Air and Marine (OAM) helps CBP fulfill its mission by providing aviation and marine assets -- which include 9 unmanned aerial systems (UAS) -- to support border security operations. The Privacy Office, within DHS, is responsible for embedding and enforcing privacy protections and transparency in DHS activities, and ensuring that privacy considerations are addressed when planning or updating any program, system, or initiative. The Office for Civil Rights and Liberties (CRCL), within DHS, helps to integrate civil rights and civil liberties into agency activities by providing policy advice and training, assessing the impact of DHS policies and activities, and engaging with the public to provide information on DHS policies and avenues of redress. This report examines the extent to which DHS's review of CBP's UAS addressed CBP efforts to (1) ensure compliance with existing privacy and civil liberty laws and standards; and (2) ensure its UAS usage is limited to border and coastal areas of the U.S. Figures. This is a print on demand report.

"In his scathing and deeply reported examination of the U.S. Border Patrol, Todd Miller argues that the agency has gone rogue since the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, trampling on the dignity and rights of the undocumented with military-style tactics. . . . Miller's book arrives at a moment when it appears that part of the Homeland Security apparatus is backpedaling by promising to tone down its tactics, maybe prodded by investigative journalism, maybe by the revelations of NSA leaker Edward Snowden. . . . Border Patrol is quite possibly the right book at the right time . . . "--Tony Perry, Los Angeles Times “At the start of his unsettling and important new book, Border Patrol Nation, Miller observes that these days 'it is common to see the Border Patrol in places--such as Erie, Pennsylvania; Rochester, New York; or Forks, Washington--where only fifteen years ago it would have seemed far-fetched, if not unfathomable.'”--Barbara Spindel, Christian Science Monitor "Miller’s approach in Border Patrol Nation is to offer a glimpse into the secretive operations of the Border Patrol, reporting with a journalist’s objectivity and nose for a good story. Miller’s book is full of facts, and it’s clear he’s outraged, but he gives voices to people on every side of the issue. . . . Miller’s book is a fascinating read.. . . and bring the work of Susan Orlean to mind."--Amanda Eyre Ward Kirkus Reviews "Todd Miller's invaluable and gripping book, Border Patrol Nation: Dispatches from the Front Lines of Homeland Security is the story of how this country’s borders are being transformed into up-armored, heavily militarized zones run by a border-industrial complex. It's an achievement and an eye opener."--Tom Engelhardt, TomDispatch "What Jeremy Scahill was to Blackwater, Todd Miller is to the U.S. Border Patrol!"--Tom Miller, author, On the Border: Portraits of America's Southwestern Frontier "Todd Miller has entered a secret world, and he has gone deep. . . . Powerful."--Luis Alberto Urrea, author of The Devil's Highway: A True Story "Journalist Miller tells an alarming story of U.S. Border Patrol and Homeland Security's ever-widening reach into the lives of American citizens and legal immigrants as well as the undocumented. In addition to readers interested in immigration issues, those concerned about the NSA’s privacy violations will likely be even more shocked by the actions of Homeland Security."--Publishers Weekly, Starred Review Armed authorities watch from a military-grade surveillance tower as lines of people stream toward the security checkpoint, tickets in hand, anxious and excited to get through the gate. Few seem to notice or care that the US Border Patrol is monitoring the Super Bowl, as they have for years, one of the many ways that forces created to police the borders are now being used, in an increasingly militarized fashion, to survey and monitor the whole of American society. In fast-paced prose, Todd Miller sounds an alarm as he chronicles the changing landscape. Traveling the country—and beyond—to speak with the people most involved with and impacted by the Border Patrol, he combines these first-hand encounters with careful research to expose a vast and booming industry for high-end technology, weapons, surveillance, and prisons. While politicians and corporations reap substantial profits, the experiences of millions of men, women, and children point to staggering humanitarian consequences. Border Patrol Nation shows us in stark relief how the entire country has become a militarized border zone, with consequences that affect us all. Todd Miller has worked on and written about US border issues for over fifteen years.