Basham's First Week as Commissioner of CBP

The New Commissioner of US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) W. Ralph Basham toured the border with Mexico this week. He heads the agency that will be in charge of initiating formal “requests” for Guard involvement at the border, although the first big request was apparently made (by acting commissioner Deborah J. Spero) before Basham took office on June 6, 2006 as second commissioner of the CPB.

“Under heavy security, Basham gave a short speech thanking CPB agents and Valley law enforcement for their cooperation,” writes McAllen Monitor reporter Andres R. Martinez about one stop at the Anzalduas County Park in Mission. “I felt very strongly if I was going to be effective I needed to get a first-hand look at the challenges and needs of the Border Patrol,” said Basham. “This gives me an opportunity to go back to Washington and be an advocate for your needs.”

At the official CBP website, the President is reported to “know Commissioner Basham well after previously appointing him to head the Secret Service.”

“He’s a decent man,” Bush said about Commissioner Basham. “I trust him deeply, and he’s going to be a superb leader for Customs and Border Protection.”

Here’s the official CBP bio:

W. Ralph Basham was sworn in by President George W. Bush on June 6, 2006 to serve as the second Commissioner of the U.S. Customs and Border Protection, the agency of the Department of Homeland Security responsible for managing, controlling, and securing our Nation’s borders.

Mr. Basham brings a distinguished record of public service in law enforcement to U.S. Customs and Border Protection. He has served as the Director of the United States Secret Service, since 2003. A 28-year veteran of the Secret Service, Basham also served as Director of the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center and Chief of Staff of the Transportation Security Administration.

Mr. Basham’s began his career with the Secret Service in 1970 when he was appointed as a Special Agent in the Washington Field Office. He rose rapidly to the managerial level while serving in a variety of assignments reflecting the Service’s diverse interests and responsibilities. Mr. Basham has served in supervisory positions in both protective and investigative assignments, serving as Special Agent in Charge of the Cleveland Field Office, the Washington Field Office and the Vice Presidential Protective Division. Basham also served as the Deputy Assistant Director of the Office of Training and as Assistant Director of the Office of Administration, where he was responsible for the management of the agency’s administrative division.

In January 1998, Mr. Basham was appointed Director of the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center (FLETC). The center, located in Glynco, Georgia and Artesia, New Mexico, provides training for nearly all of the nation’s federal law enforcement officers, including Secret Service recruits. The FLETC also serves the state, local and federal law enforcement communities with training programs tailored to their specific needs.

Mr. Basham was named Chief of Staff for the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) in January 2002. Among his responsibilities at TSA, Mr. Basham oversaw the hiring of federal security directors for the nation’s 429 airports.

A native of Owensboro, Kentucky, Basham received a Bachelor’s Degree from Southeastern University in Washington, D.C. Mr. Basham’s numerous honors include the 1992 and 2000 Meritorious Presidential Rank Awards.