CBP's McAleenan Seeks COAC Input on Central America Customs Issues in Effort to Stem Border 'Crisis'
CBP Commissioner Kevin McAleenan on Feb. 27 directed the Commercial Customs Operations Advisory Committee to form its first “rapid response team” to help address customs and trade facilitation issues in the Northern Triangle of Central America. The “humanitarian crisis” at…
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the U.S.-Mexico border, driven by the migration of children mainly from Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador, is caused by food insecurity and a lack of economic opportunity in those countries, and customs and border inefficiencies are one of the key drivers of the region’s malaise, McAleenan said in opening remarks at the COAC meeting held that day in Washington. The time and cost of moving goods between Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador, as well as between these three countries and in the rest of the world, ranks among the highest in the world, with delays at border checkpoints reaching 72 hours for imported goods. McAleenan asked the COAC to form a working group of its members to gather private sector input and expertise on the region’s supply chain issues. Rapid response teams are a new feature of the reorganized COAC, beginning with the current committee term (see 1810040017).