Letter supporting CBP Office of Field Operations’ Strategic Plan for 2026-2030

Note: footnotes are provided in the attached document

August 20, 2026

Diane J. Sabatino
Executive Assistant Commissioner
Office of Field Operations
U.S. Customs and Border Protection
1300 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW
Washington, DC 20229

Re: Support for the CBP Office of Field Operations Strategy 2026–2030

Dear Executive Assistant Commissioner Sabatino,

The U.S. Chamber of Commerce commends U.S. Customs and Border Protection for the release of the CBP Office of Field Operations (OFO) – Strategy 2026-2030 (the Strategy). The Chamber appreciates OFO’s commitment to protecting U.S. national and economic security. The strategic plan is designed to safeguard lawful U.S. travel and trade while protecting American people from harm.

International travel and trade are engines of American prosperity — and OFO sits at the center of both. In 2024, international visitors spent $181 billion in the United States, supporting millions of jobs across aviation, hospitality, retail, and related industries, with the travel sector generating nearly $3 trillion in total economic output. OFO's own FY 2025 data underscores the scale of what is at stake: the agency processed $3.6 trillion in import cargo and facilitated 380 million traveler crossings. The Strategy's core mission to "secure and fortify lawful trade and travel" reflects a shared understanding that border efficiency and economic security are inseparable. Policies that deter or delay legitimate travelers and traders impose real costs on American workers and businesses, and the Chamber urges OFO to keep this economic reality at the forefront of its implementation decisions.

The Strategy further reflects a sound and principled approach to border security by committing to “intelligence-based targeting" and "risk-based decisions" that direct enforcement resources where they are most needed. OFO's own FY 2025 data demonstrate why this approach is right. The agency processed 380 million travelers while apprehending 206,000 inadmissible individuals and seizing over 504,000 pounds of illicit drugs. The vast majority of those travelers are law-abiding visitors, business professionals, and tourists who strengthen our economy and our ties with allied nations.

The Chamber strongly supports the framework of this strategy, which is to concentrate OFO’s finite resources on actual threats, rather than applying uniform scrutiny regardless of risk, to ensure efficiency and enhance security. Disproportionate focus on low-risk travelers and compliant shippers strains OFO's capacity, raises costs for American businesses and consumers, and deters the visitors and trading partners our economy depends on. The Chamber looks forward to working with OFO to ensure that stronger enforcement and efficient, lawful movement of people and goods advance together.

The Strategy's commitment to expanding partnerships and leveraging innovation and automated solutions provides exactly the right foundation for deeper public-private collaboration. Our mutual interest is to identify low-risk travelers and shipments at the earliest possible point so that OFO can direct its valuable resources where they are most needed. The Chamber is eager to convene industry voices in support of OFO in the implementation of our shared goals, including risk targeting frameworks, processing times, compliance expectations, and the standardization of port operations.

Sincerely,

Patrick Shen
Vice President for Immigration Policy
U.S. Chamber of Commerce

About the author

Patrick Shen

Patrick Shen is vice president for Immigration Policy at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.

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