US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) announced on Thursday the designation of Alfonso Robles as Director of Field Operations for Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands.
“I am very grateful for the opportunity to return to Puerto Rico and to lead such a complex organization during some of the most challenging times this area has faced,” indicated DFO Robles.
“I hope to enhance the Nation’s safety, and look forward to lead the men and women of CBP in accomplishing an important public mission – enhancing our nation’s safety and security while at the same time fostering legitimate trade.”
Mr. Robles commenced his tenure during the weeks that hurricanes Irma and Maria impacted Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands.
(See a CBP AMO Black Hawk crew working from Ramey Air Force Base in Aguadilla, Puerto Rico to supply the small mountainous community of Castaner, Puerto Rico with daily critical supplies including medicine. The isolated town was receiving no relief after hurricane Maria destroyed much of the community’s infrastructure until the AMO crew responded. Courtesy of the CBP and YouTube. Posted on Oct 10, 2017)
This is Mr. Robles’ second posting in Puerto Rico. He has 31 years of service working at CBP and the former U.S. Customs Service, in both operational and legal roles.
He previously served in San Juan as District Director during the 1990’s, and then as the inaugural Customs Management Center Director for the Caribbean Area.
In both roles, he directed the operations of one of the busiest narcotics and money laundering enforcement areas in the United States and managed the arrival of over 2 million passengers annually.
From 2003 to 2013, Mr. Robles served as Chief Counsel for the U.S. Customs Service and as the first Chief Counsel for CBP.
He directed all agency legal activities and served as the principal legal advisor to the Commissioner and CBP leadership.
During his tenure, he oversaw the agency’s litigation strategy and all legal activities involving other organizations, federal and state agencies.
Mr. Robles holds a Juris Doctor degree from the Georgetown University Law Center and he is a member of the U.S. Supreme Court and District of Columbia Bar Associations.
Throughout his career, he has been the recipient of numerous awards, including the Presidential Rank Award, the DHS General Counsel’s Award, and the Treasury General Counsel’s Award for Outstanding Performance.
CBP Office of Field Operations
Almost a million times each day, CBP officers welcome international travelers into the U.S. CBP’s border security mission is led at ports of entry by CBP officers from the Office of Field Operations.
Please visit CBP Ports of Entry to learn more about how CBP’s Office of Field Operations secures our nation’s borders.
In screening both foreign visitors and returning U.S. citizens, CBP uses a variety of techniques to intercept narcotics, unreported currency, weapons, prohibited agriculture, and other illicit products, and to assure that global tourism remains safe and strong.
