Internship at U.S. Customs and Border Protection

Elizabeth Shingler '13

            As an intern at the Associate Chief Counsel’s Office of U.S. Customs and Border Protection (“CBP”), I have been exposed to an array of issues, far exceeding what I had anticipated.  The attorneys who work for the Associate Chief Counsel’s Office appropriately describe themselves as “generalists” as opposed to the “specialists” who work at Headquarters in Washington, D.C., who focus strictly on particular aspects of customs and immigration laws. 

Employment law cases comprise the majority of the work at the Associate Chief Counsel’s Office. Most of these cases involve claims of Title VII violations, relating to discrimination or agency reprisal against an employee.  From what I have observed, although the facts of these cases are usually straightforward, they can be time consuming and emotionally-charged for the employee. 

Following employment law issues, immigration issues are another large component of the office’s work.  Upon entering the country, an immigration officer determines whether a person is admissible to the United States.  An alien may not be admissible for a variety of reasons, such as a prior crime involving moral turpitude.  In such cases, a Notice to Appear will be issued requiring the person to appear in court to determine whether he may stay in the United States.  The office becomes involved because the attorneys review the file to ensure there is adequate and appropriate information to proceed with the government’s case.  As I have not taken any immigration law courses and do not have a background in immigration law, I have found it to be highly complicated and difficult to understand.

CBP attorneys are also involved in seizure related issues, arising from seizures of prohibited items at the border and Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) seizures. ICE is CBP’s sister agency; both fall under the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) umbrella.  As such, when ICE officers make seizures (often this involves seizing either a vehicle or money), CBP is responsible for reviewing the seizure and issuing notices to the owners explaining their legal options.  In these cases, the owners may abandon the property, have an administrative hearing, or proceed in court.  I have had some exposure to these cases and have found them to require you to be highly organized in order to stay on top of each proceeding.

Of course, the attorneys also enforce customs law, an area of personal interest. Although much of the technical work is performed in Washington D.C., the office in New York handles violation cases.  Customs laws are found in Title 19 of the United States Code and I have been fortunate enough to be involved in cases where the importer either did not properly classify the goods thereby altering the duty amount that is to be paid on the goods or the importer has protested the duty that was assessed on his goods. I found these internship opportunities to be a great way to gain hands-on experience and to understand how the law is applied. They also involve multiple offices, such as Audit and Fines, and Penalties and Forfeitures to determine when and how a violation has occurred.

The variety of the work at the Associate Chief Counsel’s Office has made each day interesting and has furthered my knowledge in a variety of areas. Additionally, the attorneys have always been willing to answer my questions or discuss a complicated question, while giving me the freedom to research and address issues as I see fit. My internship at CBP has been a rewarding experience and one I would recommend to others.