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DHS’ Customs Division eyes station office at airport departure building
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Posted on Feb 17 2009
The Department of Homeland Security’s Customs and Border Division is planning to set up an office at the airport after it inquired with the Commonwealth Ports Authority about space availability, according to CPA executive director Efrain S. Camacho yesterday.
Camacho said that, although the federal Transportation Security Administration has a station office at the airport’s terminal building, he believes the area may not enough for its expanded federal duties in the CNMI starting June 1, when the federalization of local immigration and labor systems sets in.
Saipan Tribune learned that TSA has an office at the second floor of the terminal facility; it will be transferred to the ground floor of the departure building.
Camacho said the idea is to set up a new and bigger station office for both TSA and Customs and Border Division starting June.
The executive director disclosed that TSA has been exploring the idea of a “bigger office” for many years now.
“Even before this federalization issue, TSA has been looking for a bigger space and it has been in the works for many years,” he said, adding that the new inquiry was recently made to CPA by the federal agency.
Like other airport tenants, CPA will charge the TSA on the space lease based on current rates.
“From the second floor of the terminal building, they will move to the ground floor below the duty-free shop at the departure area. They will be renting the space based on rates provided to other airport tenants,” Camacho said.
Although the lease agreement has yet to be finalized, the ports authority chief said a lease agreement is usually for up to five years.
“The discussion started last month…and the space [they want] is available,” he said.
Besides working under federal guidelines, Camacho believes that federalization will create no major impact on the operation of the ports authority, which remains an autonomous agency of the local government.
“I don’t see a major effect on our operation…because the immigration and the customs divisions are completely separate from CPA,” Camacho told Saipan Tribune yesterday, adding that the ports authority will remain the operator of the facility.
