For Immediate Release
DHS Press Office
Contact: 202-282-8010
SAN DIEGO — Today, Deputy Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas concluded a three-day trip to California where he conducted operational site visits at U.S. Coast Guard and U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) facilities, received briefings and met with DHS personnel.
Deputy Secretary Mayorkas received a briefing on ongoing CBP and U.S. Coast Guard operations at the Los Angeles/Long Beach Seaport, the largest seaport in the United States. CBP plays a vital role in the processing and inspection of passengers and cargo. In Fiscal Year 2014, the Los Angeles/Long Beach Seaport processed 40 percent of all international sea containers arriving into the country, and played a crucial role in the efforts to prevent illegal items, such as drugs, guns, and counterfeit goods, from entering the United States.
Deputy Secretary Mayorkas also traveled to the San Ysidro Port of Entry, the largest land border crossing by passenger volume in the world, where he met with CBP officials to discuss the Department’s efforts to secure our borders while facilitating legitimate trade and travel that is essential to our economy. Yesterday, Deputy Secretary Mayorkas also visited the U.S. Coast Guard Air Station San Diego and the Joint Harbor Operations Center where he observed Coast Guard maritime operations and reviewed DHS efforts to combat the trafficking of individuals, drugs and contraband throughout the region.
On Sept. 18, Deputy Secretary Mayorkas delivered remarks at the Los Angeles Chancery Club, underscoring the Department of Homeland Security’s unprecedented levels of personnel and resources dedicated to border security and efforts to enhance the nation’s cybersecurity.
For more information, please visit www.dhs.gov.
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