Bush creates U.S. Customs and Border Protection, merging Customs Service with Border Patrol under DHS

U.S. Customs and Border Protection became an official agency on March 1, 2003, merging the U.S. Customs Service, immigration inspectors from the INS, and the Border Patrol into a single agency under the newly created Department of Homeland Security. President George W. Bush signed the Homeland Security Act of 2002 on November 25, 2002, authorizing the merger. CBP inherited both customs revenue authority and border security missions simultaneously.