Customs and Border Protection, United States, is a U.S. government agency that provides protection and conducts inspections at the country’s borders. The agency, often called CBP, oversees the U.S. Border Patrol. It also processes goods, people, and vehicles entering the United States, and collects duties on imported merchandise. A central goal of CBP is to prevent terrorists and terrorist weapons from entering the country. CBP began operations in March 2003. It is part of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.
Before 2003, many border protection and inspection services were provided by the Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS) and the U.S. Customs Service. The INS and the Customs Service were dissolved in March 2003, and many of their responsibilities were transferred to CBP. Other responsibilities of the INS and Customs Service were moved to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), both of which are also in the Department of Homeland Security.
