McAleenan Nomination as CBP Commissioner Seen Continuing Focus on Facilitation and Enforcement

NEWPORT, Rhode Island -- The nomination of Acting CBP Commissioner Kevin McAleenan to permanently head the agency represents welcome continuity to CBP and the trade community, government officials and industry executives said at the Coalition of New England Companies for Trade Northeast Trade and Transportation Conference on April 12. For CBP, “having the continuity that he brings from the operational and enforcement piece” and McAleenan’s experience “is going to be great for us,” said Valerie Neuhart, acting director of CBP’s Office of Trade Relations.

For the trade community, the nomination may ensure that CBP continues its dual focus on facilitation and enforcement. “We think that the confirmation of Kevin McAleenan as commissioner is very much in that balanced direction of keeping on with that dual rule of, ‘you need to facilitate and there’s that enforcement piece as well,’” said Julie Ann Parks of Raytheon, who co-chairs the Commercial Customs Operations Advisory Committee (COAC). The nomination of McAleenan was comforting, given what he previously has done to balance trade and security, said Hun Quach, vice president for international trade of the Retail Industry Leaders Association. RILA is hopeful that McAleenan will be able to continue with those efforts moving forward as the commissioner, Quach said.

But “make no mistake about it, we are in a heightened enforcement era,” said Amy Magnus of A.N. Deringer, vice president of the National Customs Brokers & Forwarders Association of America. McAleenan is an “interesting choice, and I’m quite pleased because he understands the game,” she said. Nonetheless, “CBP has additional information, they are using that information, and they’re getting better at what they do as they consolidate information on importers,” Magnus said. “I think Kevin will be a reasonable commissioner, one we can work with. But if you are in any way wondering about whether or not” you’re in compliance, ”you should straighten that out,” she said. “You need to start looking very closely.”