Borders Vision, Goals, Objectives and Outcomes

Vision Statement: Secure borders that protect the United States from threats and facilitate the free flow of lawful travel and commerce in support of a secure, free, and prosperous America.

Overarching Mission Goal:

The United States will:

  • Secure, preserve, and protect its borders and approaches, its natural resources in its Exclusive Economic Zone and, working in collaboration with international partners and the private sector, the North American community and the global trading system;
  • Enforce its laws and maintain effective enforcement presence – preventing the illegal entry of dangerous people and goods, preventing outbound smuggling, and destroying the power of transnational criminal or terrorist organizations;
  • Protect America from dangerous pathogens, invasive species, and other cross-border threats to health, food and agriculture;
  • Facilitate the free and safe flow of lawful travel and commerce through our Ports of Entry and throughout the global economy; and
  • Meet its humanitarian obligations under U.S. law.

 

Objective 1:  Prevent Attacks Against Ports of Entry, Critical Border Infrastructure and Key Assets.

  • Outcome 1.1:  Protect Our Ports of Entry, Critical Border Infrastructure, and Key Assets Against Attacks. Working in collaboration with our international partners and the private sector, no terrorist or other attacks are launched against Ports of Entry, critical border infrastructure, and key assets, such as seaports or international bridge crossings, utilizing nuclear weapons or other high-consequence Weapons of Mass Destruction or Effect.

 

Objective 2:  Secure the Borders and Approaches to the United States, Preventing the Illegal Entry of Dangerous People, Weapons, and Goods.

  • Outcome 2.1:  Positive Identification and Assessment of Risk. All individuals interdicted or otherwise encountered by authorities while seeking to come into or approach the United States are positively identified and assessed to determine if they are admissible or present a threat, warranting further scrutiny, without unduly slowing down the free flow of lawful travel.
  • Outcome 2.2:  Watch lists and Information Sharing. All information held by relevant authorities concerning known or suspected terrorists, criminals, and inadmissible aliens is conveyed as appropriate to border, consular, or aviation security officials, so that they are positively identified and detected before they obtain a visa, seek to come into the United States through a Port of Entry, board a plane bound for the United States, or are otherwise interdicted or encountered by authorities.
  • Outcome 2.3:  Secure Commerce and Our Ports. All cargo and conveyances seeking to enter the United States through a Port of Entry are assessed to determine if they present a threat, may legally enter the United States or otherwise comply with U.S. laws and, if deemed a potential threat or deemed otherwise appropriate by authorities, are inspected before being allowed to enter the country, without unduly slowing down the free flow of lawful trade.
  • Outcome 2.4:  Protect the Nation From WMD. Illicit nuclear weapons, other high consequence Weapons of Mass Destruction or Effect, or targeted quantities of illicit chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear, and explosive material, are prevented from being allowed to enter or approach the United States.
  • Outcome 2.5:  Achieve Substantial Domain Awareness. Substantial increase in domain awareness – i.e., the effective understanding of, and ability to detect, identify, and classify potential threats to U.S. security, safety, the economy, or the environment – is achieved along the maritime, air, and land borders and approaches to the United States.
  • Outcome 2.6:  Achieve Operational Control of the Borders and Approaches. Substantial increase in operational control – i.e., the ability to detect, identify, classify, and then resolve potential illegal entries through a law enforcement response, such that individuals are deterred from seeking to enter the country or smuggle contraband illegally – is achieved along our maritime, air, and land borders and the approaches to the United States.
  • Outcome 2.7:  Deter and Respond to Threats of Mass Migration. Achieve substantial increases in domain awareness and operational control, such that mass migration threats are deterred and effective response capability is maintained.

 

Objective 3:  Facilitate the Free and Safe Flow of Lawful Travel and Commerce into and out of the United States.

  • Outcome 3.1:  Reduce Wait Times at Ports of Entry. Wait times at Ports of Entry are maintained at pre-9/11 levels, by Port of Entry.
  • Outcome 3.2:  Use Advance Information and State of the Art Analytics to Reduce Processing Time and Expedite Lawful Travel and Commerce Through Ports of Entry. Processing times for identifying individuals or shipments seeking to lawfully enter the United States and then for assessing risk are substantially reduced.
  • Outcome 3.3:  Increase Participation in Trusted Traveler and Shipper Programs. Substantial increase in the numbers of individuals or companies participating in trusted traveler or shipper programs, such as Global Entry, SENTRI or C-TPAT.
  • Outcome 3.4:  Reduce Wait Times for Visas. Substantial decrease in wait times for obtaining consular office appointments for visa issuance, by consular post and country.
  • Outcome 3.5:  Fully Implement the Model Ports Program. Substantial increase in the number of International Airports participating in the CBP Model Ports Program.
  • Outcome 3.6:  Ensure Safe Flow of Commerce Through Ports of Entry. Achieve substantial increases in domain awareness and operational control, ensuring the safe flow of commerce through our Ports of Entry.

 

Objective 4:  Secure, Protect, and Facilitate the Free Flow of Lawful Travel and Commerce Through the Key Trading, Transportation, and Transactional Systems of the Global Economy, and Prevent Them From Being Used for Terrorism or Crime.

  • Outcome 4.1:  Work With Our International Partners and the Private Sector to Secure, Protect, and Facilitate the Free Flow of Lawful Travel and Commerce Through the Key Systems of the Global Economy. International standards for border control, immigration and the movement of people and goods, secure identification, transportation security, and information sharing (such as the World Customs Organization’s SAFE Framework or the International Maritime Organization’s International Ship and Port Facility Security Code (ISPS), or the International Civil Aviation Organization’s efforts on air cargo security), are adopted/enhanced and a substantial number of nations adopting these standards have implemented them, thereby better securing, protecting, and facilitating the free flow of lawful travel and commerce throughout the world, and preventing these necessary systems from being used for terrorism or crime.
  • Outcome 4.2:  Achieve Global Supply Chain Security. Global supply chain security and resiliency is strengthened through a substantial increase in the validated participation in or compliance with key U.S. supply chain and port security programs (such as the Container Security Initiative (CSI), Customs-Trade Partnership Against Terrorism (C-TPAT) or ISPS), or similar and certified international supply chain and port security programs.
  • Outcome 4.3:  Ensure Safe Global Commerce, Protected From Threats Such as Piracy. Working with our international partners and the private sector, secure the key arteries of global commerce, and achieve a substantial reduction in acts of piracy against commercial shipping.

 

Objective 5:  Identify, Disrupt, and Dismantle Transnational Criminal or Terrorist Organizations Involved in Cross-Border Crime, and Reduce Related Violence.

  • Outcome 5.1:  Attack the Organizations, Their Infrastructure, and Their Leaders. The operations of the major transnational criminal or terrorist organizations involved in the illegal transport or trafficking of people, contraband (including illicit drugs or cyber threats, among other things), goods, weapons, or proceeds of crime into or out of the United States, such as the Juarez Cartel or MS-13, are substantially disrupted, the organizations and infrastructure are substantially dismantled, and their leaders are apprehended or otherwise eliminated.
  • Outcome 5.2:  Reduce Violence Related to Transnational Criminal or Terrorist Organizations. Incidents of violence relating to the activities of these transnational criminal or terrorist organizations are substantially reduced.
  • Outcome 5.3:  Reduce Border-Related Corruption. The incidence of corruption among federal, state, local, or tribal government actors involved in border enforcement is significantly reduced and, through such things as the Merida Initiative, substantial support has been provided aimed at reducing corruption by foreign government actors.
  • Outcome 5.4:  Prevent Global Money-Laundering Related to Cross-Border Organized Crime or Terrorism. Substantially more nations have adopted and implemented international anti-money laundering standards, such as those developed by the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) for detecting and preventing illicit money laundering, terrorist financing, or other movements of proceeds relating to transnational crime or terrorism.

 

Objective 6:  Establish a Free, Prosperous, and Secure North American Community.

  • Outcome 6.1:  Harmonize Standards Within the NAFTA Zone, and Facilitate the Free Flow of Lawful Travel and Commerce. Working collaboratively with our North American partners, key standards for border control, immigration and the movement of people and goods, secure identification, transportation safety and security, and information sharing are substantially harmonized among the North American partners, and the capacity for implementing these standards among the three North American partners is substantially achieved through independent or cooperative efforts, such as the Merida Initiative, thereby leading to further facilitating the free flow of lawful travel and trade into, out of, and within the NAFTA zone.
  • Outcome 6.2:  Collaboratively Assess Threats to North America. Working collaboratively with our North American partners, all air travelers and cargo shipments to North America are assessed to determine if they present a risk of terrorism or other similar threat and, if deemed appropriate, subjected to further scrutiny or inspection before they enter any of the North American countries.
  • Outcome 6.3:  Secure the North American Community. Working collaboratively with our North American partners, substantial increases in domain awareness and operational control of the maritime, air, and land borders, domains, and approaches to North America are achieved.
  • Outcome 6.4:  Work to Expand the North American Zone of Security. Working collaboratively with our North American partners, significantly expand the zone of security against threats such as terrorism or organized crime to other parts of the Americas, including Central America and the Caribbean Basin.

 

Objective 7:  Protect America From Cross-Border Threats to Health, Food, or Agriculture.

  • Outcome 7.1:  Assess Risks at the Borders. All individuals, shipments, or conveyances seeking to come into the United States through a Port of Entry, or those that are interdicted or encountered by authorities while seeking to come into or approach the United States, are assessed to determine if they might be infected with or carrying an infectious disease, pathogen, invasive species, or other organism presenting a substantial threat to health, food, or agriculture.

 

Objective 8:  Prevent the Illegal Export of Weapons, Proceeds of Crime, and Other Dangerous Goods, and the Exit of Dangerous Criminals or Terrorists.

  • Outcome 8.1:  Assess Outbound Cargo. All cargo exiting the United States through official Ports of Entry is identified and information concerning it is provided and assessed by authorities to determine if it presents a risk of illegal outbound smuggling of weapons, weapons components, proceeds of crime, or other illegally exported materials.
  • Outcome 8.2:  Reducing Outbound Smuggling. Working collaboratively with our international and private sector partners, the incidence of outbound smuggling of weapons, weapons components, proceeds of crime, or other illegally exported materials is substantially reduced.
  • Outcome 8.3:  Catch Criminals and Terrorists Before They Leave the U.S. All known or suspected terrorists, wanted criminals, or others who may pose a threat to health or safety, and who seek to exit the United States through a Port of Entry, are positively identified before they leave the United States, and this information is conveyed in a timely manner to or from the relevant federal, state, local, or tribal government agencies, foreign partners, or private sector entities, so as to enable an appropriate law enforcement response.

 

Objective 9:  Meet U.S. Humanitarian Obligations to Migrants, Asylum Seekers, and Refugees.

  • Outcome 9.1:  Meet U.S. Humanitarian Obligations to Asylum Seekers, Consistent with U.S. Law and National Security. All persons seeking to come to the United States who express or appear to have a fear of persecution are referred to asylum officers for efficient processing of their potential asylum claims, consistent with the law and national security.
  • Outcome 9.2:  Meet U.S. Humanitarian Obligations Regarding Refugee Protection, Consistent with U.S. Law and National Security. In conjunction with our international partners and international organizations, and consistent with U.S. obligations under U.S. and international law as well as any numerical limits asserted under U.S. or international law, all refugee claimants are efficiently processed, consistent with the law and national security.

 

Objective 10:  Secure America’s Natural Resources in the Exclusive Economic Zone.

  • Outcome 10.1:  Achieve Substantial Domain Awareness Over the EEZ. Substantial increase in domain awareness – i.e., the effective understanding of, and ability to detect, identify, and classify potential threats to U.S. security, safety, the economy, or the environment – over significant reaches of the U.S. Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ), including the Arctic Ocean region, is achieved.
  • Outcome 10.2:  Reduce Poaching. Incidence of poaching in U.S. fisheries within the EEZ is substantially reduced.
  • Outcome 10.3:  Prevent Taking of U.S. Oil, Gas, and Mineral Assets. Illegal taking of U.S. oil, gas, or other mineral assets in the EEZ is prevented.