The fourth edition of Building an Import/Export Business is dedi-cated to the managers and staff of the United States Departmentof Homeland Security. They have the very difficult task of allow-ing legitimate trade to flow while blocking imports and exportsthat might bring harm to the United States.This huge and relatively new government agency includes theTransportation Security Administration (TSA), which protectsthe nation’s transportation systems to ensure freedom of move-ment for people and commerce. It also includes United StatesCustoms and Border Protection (CBP), which is responsible forprotecting the nation’s borders against terrorists and terrorismwhile facilitating the flow of legitimate trade and travel. In addi-tion, it includes the United States Immigration and CustomsEnforcement (ICE), which is charged with finding and eliminatingvulnerabilities in the nation’s border, economic, transportationand infrastructure security.Imagine 30,000 sealed shipping containers entering the UnitedStates every day through ports on all borders, and the enormoustask of deciding which ones to detain and inspect. It boggles themind, yet it is being done to the best of the DHS’s ability, guidedby ever-changing legislation and its interpretation. I congratulateeveryone who is involved in this difficult but vital endeavor.
