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2 The U.S. Customs Service |
Established
in 1789 to collect desperately needed revenue
for the newly formed (and nearly bankrupt) United
States of America, the U.S. Customs Service has
grown from an agency administering 59 ports of
entry and an annual collection from $2 million,
to 300 ports of entry and over $19 billion revenue.
Although collecting revenue was the first mission
of the Customs Service, it is by no means the
only one. Inspectors at our borders are the first
bulwark against drugs, tainted or diseased food
and plant products, unsafe or counterfeit goods,
child pornography, illegal weapons -- the list
goes on and on. For nearly 125 years, Customs
was the main source of income for the government.
Today, Customs is second only to the Internal
Revenue Service in providing revenue to the U.S.
Treasury.
Over the years, Customs has come to mean many
things to many people. To the international traveler,
Customs is the men and women in blue at the border
station, airport, or seaport who examine personal
baggage upon return to the States. To the importer,
Customs provides advice, protection and control
of merchandise shipped into the country. To the
smuggler, Customs is the planes, vessels, vehicles
and dedicated people constantly monitoring the
nation’s perimeter to thwart attempts at illicit
entry of merchandise or persons.
As the front-line, revenue-producing law enforcement
agency along the United States borders for more
than 200 years, Customs enjoys a proud heritage
of solid contribution to the American way of
life.
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