U.S. Customs and Border Protection announced on July 31 the appointment of Roque Caza as the new Director of Field Operations for the Tucson Field Office. Caza will be responsible for all operational and administrative aspects, leading a team of nearly 1,500 officers, agriculture specialists, and administrative staff.
The Tucson Field Office covers six land border ports of entry and two international airports throughout Arizona. This area manages an annual traffic volume that includes approximately 480,338 commercial trucks, 11,459 buses, and 9.3 million vehicles. The office also processes 961 trains and 13,626 aircraft each year while facilitating movement for about 17.3 million vehicle passengers, 6.6 million pedestrians, and one million aircraft passengers.
In addition to passenger processing duties, the field office handles a yearly average of $29.9 billion in merchandise value and collects around $758 million in duties. Caza will oversee teams responsible for processing all international trade and travel as well as detecting and deterring illicit activity.
Caza brings more than two decades of civil service experience to his new role. He previously served as director of the Counter Network Division within the National Targeting Center, where he led multidisciplinary efforts against transnational threat networks. Before his selection in Tucson, he was port director at Calexico East, Calexico West, and Andrade ports in Southern California.
“I look forward to working with the men and women of the Office of Field Operations to address the transnational security challenges of today and adapt to those of tomorrow while providing exceptional service to the traveling public,” Caza said.
CBP’s Office of Field Operations is tasked with anti-terrorism operations at U.S. ports by screening people, vehicles, and goods entering the country while supporting legitimate trade and travel flows. Their responsibilities also include narcotics interdiction; enforcing immigration or trade laws; protecting food supply chains; and safeguarding agriculture from pests or diseases.