US Customs and Border Protection (CBP), part of the Department of Homeland Security, is charged with keeping the nation's borders safe.
The agency protects the US borders from terrorists and their weapons, human and drug trafficking, illegal immigration, and materials that are harmful to the country's agriculture. CPB guards some 7,000 miles of land borders shared with Mexico and Canada and, in partnership with the US Coast Guard, guards some 95,000 miles of maritime border. (Its Air and Marine division manages the largest law enforcement air force in the world.) CBP is also responsible for assessing and collecting duties, taxes, and fees on imported goods. The agency was established in 2003.