While I was struck by the shear enormity of devastation, I was proud of our agency’s ability to mobilize our people and assets and provide support to the recovery and relief efforts. Most importantly, I was impressed by the commitment and selflessness that our employees – many of whom have suffered tremendous personal loss – have demonstrated toward each other and their communities under extraordinarily difficult, demanding and stressful circumstances.

Currently, more than 600 CBP employees from across the Nation are working side-by-side, as one team, to carry out search and rescue, law enforcement and humanitarian missions in New Orleans and throughout the disaster areas along the Gulf Coast. At the CBP Forward Deployed Operations Command Center in Hammond, Louisiana, CBP is prioritizing our relief and law enforcement responses and reconstituting our border security and port operations in the affected area. Throughout New Orleans, dozens of Border Patrol Agents are currently working with the United States Army’s 82nd Airborne Division in some of the most dangerous regions of the city – Districts 2 and 5 – carrying out a range of law enforcement and search and rescue missions. CBP Officers are actively providing security for critical facilities and infrastructure and coordinating transportation of relief supplies. In the skies, CBP Air personnel continue to perform search and rescue operations, transporting rescue personnel, medical goods and supplies, inserting CBP law enforcement personnel and conducting aerial surveillance.

In addition to our law enforcement operations, CBP mission support staff is on the ground providing vital assistance to both affected employees as well as those supporting relief efforts. For example, the Office of Information and Technology is working round-the-clock to reestablish communications; the Office of Finance is providing CBP employees with shelter, food, medicine and other resources; the Office of Human Resources, through the Employee Assistance Program, is counseling employees in need; and the Office of Public Affairs is providing critical information to the general public and CBP employees.

During my trip yesterday, I met with a number of CBP employees who lost everything. Above all else, I was struck by their resilience, “can do” attitude and dedication to CBP and each other. As I told them, we, as an agency, are doing, and will continue to do, all we can to take care of every member of the CBP family who has been displaced. Our commitment to each and every affected employee and their communities has never been greater.

This weekend, while our Nation works to recover from the devastation of the worst natural disaster in our history and provide relief to thousands of displaced Americans, we will remember the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001. Four years ago, our Nation was witness to the worst terrorist attack in the history of the world, in terms of loss of innocent lives. 9/11 will be forever etched into our memories, a day of unprecedented loss, devastation and heroism. As we have done in previous years, I am directing all operating CBP facilities, including all the Nation’s ports of entry and all Border Patrol stations, to observe a moment of silence on Sunday, September 11 at 8:46 a.m. Eastern Daylight Time.

As a symbol of our commitment to restoring operations, earlier this week, CBP officers secured the United States Customhouse in downtown New Orleans and raised the American flag and CBP ensign over this historic building. I would like to thank those CBP employees who have volunteered to assist with relief and recovery efforts. As your Commissioner, I am extremely proud of your unwavering commitment to recovering from the devastation of the hurricane and restoring order throughout the region. Every day, we are making a difference to the people of the Gulf Coast region who have lost so much.

Robert C. Bonner
Commissioner