Customs and Border Protection launches as a unified border enforcement agency under the new Homeland Security Department

US Customs and Border Protection became an official agency of the Department of Homeland Security on March 1, 2003, combining employees from the US Customs Service, the Border Patrol, and immigration inspectors previously under INS. The merger created the nation first unified border management entity, placing customs, immigration enforcement, and agricultural inspection under a single operational command. Robert Bonner became CBP first commissioner, overseeing roughly 41,000 employees.