see also: in August 2008:   CBP in New York Apprehends Suspected Interpol Fugitive   Louisville CBP Finds Heroin in Woman’s Suit   CBP Officers Nab More than $1 Million in Narcotics in 48-hour Period   Philadelphia CBP Seizes $650,000 in Fake Bank Checks   CBP on a Roll Seizing Fake Handbags, Footwear Again in California   Calexico Downtown Port Officers Intercept $100K Narcotic Smuggling Attempt   CBP Outbound Inspection Yields 293 Unreported Ostrich Skins ...more on cbp.gov:   CBP News Releases   Press Officers

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Detroit – Christopher M. Perry was formally sworn in this morning as the U.S. Customs and Border Protection, director of field operations for the Detroit Field Office, responsible for key border security facilities in the state of Michigan.

CBP Deputy Assistant Commissioner Robert M. Jacksta swore in Mr. Perry as family, friends, colleagues and local dignitaries gathered during a ceremony at the Detroit Institute of Art in downtown Detroit.

The change-of-command ceremony began with a brief description of the historical basis for such events. It was followed by the posting of the colors by the CBP honor guard and the singing of the national anthem. An invocation was made and special guests were recognized. The oath of office was then delivered by the Honorable Stephen J. Murphy, District Court Judge, Eastern District of Michigan, followed by remarks and the retiring of the colors.

Mr. Perry replaces Robert E. Perez, who assumed the duties as director of field operations in New York on August 4. Mr. Perez was the director of field operations in Detroit from July 2007 through the beginning of August 2008.

Mr. Perry will manage operations and enforcement activities for all ports of entry in the state of Michigan. The area includes three of the busiest land border crossings, Detroit, Port Huron and Sault Sainte Marie, on the northern border with Detroit also being the busiest commercial land border crossing in the country

Mr. Perry will manage an operating budget of $75 million, and direct the activities of more than 1,100 employees. In this capacity, he oversees seven ports of entry located throughout the state, which include international land border, airport, rail, and maritime operations.

Mr. Perry will focus the efforts of his employees to ensure that the agency’s primary mission of preventing terrorists or weapons of terror from entering the United States is accomplished on a daily basis. Mr. Perry also is responsible for all immigration issues related to the admission and exclusion of people applying for entry into the United States. He also is responsible for customs and agriculture inspections at ports of entry to ensure that all goods and people entering the United States do so in accordance with our laws and regulations, while ensuring that they are facilitated in their processing to support the global marketplace and the international tourism industries.

“I look forward to this opportunity to serve as the director of field operations in the Detroit Field Office,” Mr. Perry said. “The ports of entry within this office have been and will continue to be at the forefront as our agency moves ahead with the improvement of current technology and the investment in new technology in order to accomplish our primary mission.”

Prior to his selection as DFO, Mr. Perry served as the area port director in Champlain, N.Y. since December 2000. Mr. Perry also served as the acting deputy director of the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative program management office in Washington, D.C. In that role, he was integral in the development and implementation of the WHTI land rule which goes into effect on June 1, 2009.

Mr. Perry has held a variety of positions with increasing management responsibility in both CBP Headquarters and in field locations.

Over the course of his career, Mr. Perry has overseen the construction and opening of new CBP commercial, passenger, and export processing facilities valued at $100 million.

Mr. Perry holds an MBA from Loyola College and a Masters Degree in Human Resource Management from Towson State University. He did his undergraduate work at the State University of New York at Buffalo.

Mr. Perry has nearly 12 years of military service and has served as a member of the New York and the Maryland Army National Guard as a Field Artillery Fire Direction Officer and as a Fire Support Officer. He is a graduate of the U.S. Army Field Artillery Officer Basic and Advanced Courses.

Mr. Perry has been married to his wife Janet for 18 years and they have an 11-year-old daughter named Alyssa.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection is the unified border agency within the Department of Homeland Security charged with the management, control and protection of our nation's borders at and between the official ports of entry. CBP is charged with keeping terrorists and terrorist weapons out of the country while enforcing hundreds of U.S. laws.