texas border operations
PRESIDIO, Texas – U.S. Customs and Border Protection Presidio Port Director Benito Reyes Jr. was officially sworn in at the CBP Change of Command Ceremony on November 7th. Family, friends, colleagues and local dignitaries gathered as Reyes read the oath of office during a ceremony at the Presidio Activity Center.
“My goal is to work collaboratively to balance lawful trade and travel with our nation’s critical homeland security mission, while ensuring that local communities, interests and “The aim is to strengthen cooperation between the government and port officials,” he said. I am honored to have this opportunity to lead the U.S. Customs and Border Protection workforce in the Presidio. ”
As Port Director, Mr. Reyes will lead operations and enforcement activities and provide management and oversight of CBP officers, agricultural specialists, and dog enforcement officers at the Presidio Port of Entry and Bokjas International Checkpoint. Mr. Reyes will provide guidance to areas under his leadership through policy implementation and quality control.
Mr. Reyes will work every day to ensure that the agency’s primary mission of preventing terrorists and terrorist weapons from entering the United States is accomplished. Mr. Reyes is also responsible for all immigration matters related to the admission and exclusion of people applying to enter the United States. It also ensures that all goods and people entering the United States comply with U.S. laws and regulations and that they are processed efficiently to support global markets. It is also responsible for customs and agricultural inspections at ports. and the international tourism industry.
Port Commissioner Reyes began his law enforcement career with U.S. Customs in January 1997 as an inspector assigned to the Laredo Port of Entry. Mr. Reyes’ work ethic and ability to adapt and learn effectively has provided him with opportunities to take on greater responsibility within the U.S. Customs Service and CBP since its establishment in 2003. Prior to his appointment as Port Director of the Port of Presidio, Mr. Reyes served as Assistant Port Director for Trade Operations at the Port of Del Rio, Texas. In that role, Mr. Reyes managed the movement of commercial vehicles and import and export goods through the port and directed numerous enforcement-related programs designed to address counterterrorism and border security enforcement activities in the cargo environment. .
Mr. Reyes’ career with the Office of Field Operations (OFO) has included assignments at George Bush Intercontinental Airport in Houston and the Hidalgo Port of Entry in the Rio Grande Valley. Mr. Reyes has also done several tours with the Container Security Initiative, working in Thailand and Tokyo, Japan. In August 2013, he was assigned to Preclearance in Toronto, Canada. In 2019, Supervisor Reyes became CBP Program Manager at the National Targeting Center in Sterling, Virginia. Supervisor Reyes served as a Supervisory CBP Officer at the Port of El Paso, Texas in April 2020 and most recently as a Supervisory CBP Officer at the Port of Calexico, California in November 2021. Superintendent Reyes’ career included serving as lead supervisor for four CBP classes at OFO Academy in Glynco, Georgia, which also included a tenure as a class instructor.
Port Director Reyes is a veteran of the U.S. Army and served his country for 16 years before joining the U.S. Customs Service. Port Director Reyes, a native of Edinburg, Texas, has been married for 33 years and has two sons and a daughter. Both of his sons currently proudly serve in the U.S. Army.
In 2008, CBP Field Operations adopted a formal change of command ceremony as another way to unite personnel and emphasize the agency’s mission. Since its inception in March 2003, CBP has developed and implemented standards, policies, and symbols to increase CBP’s internal and external visibility and demonstrate CBP’s progress as a protector of our borders. The change of command ceremony was designed to achieve these objectives.
