1、CRS Legal Sidebar Prepared for Members and Committees of Congress Legal SidebarLegal Sidebari i U.S. Customs and Border Protections Powers and Limitations: A Primer Updated November 30, 2021 U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), a component of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), enforces
2、federal customs and immigration laws at or near the international border and at U.S. ports of entry. Congress has established a comprehensive framework enabling CBP officers to inspect, search, and detain individuals to ensure their entry and any goods they import conform to these governing laws. Th
3、at authority is not absolute. The Fourth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution prohibits government searches and seizures that are not reasonable. While the government has broader latitude to conduct searches at the border than in the interior of the United States, these searches must still satisfy Fou
4、rth Amendment requirements. This Legal Sidebar briefly explains CBPs customs and immigration enforcement powers and the constitutional limitations to that authority. (A separate DHS component, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement ICE, is primarily responsible for immigration and customs enforcem
