MIAMI - U.S. Customs and Border Protection personnel and operational assets are actively supporting the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) for response and relief operations across Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

CBP’s Air and Marine Operations aircrews, U.S. Border Patrol Search Trauma and Rescue (BORSTAR) agents and Office of Field Operations Special Response Team officers are on the ground in Puerto Rico supporting emergency responders and helping those impacted.

New footage is available through the Defense Video Imagery Distribution System of a CBP Air and Marine Operations UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter crew conducting search-and-rescue operations and delivering supplies to remote locations as part of Hurricane Maria relief efforts.

Many CBP employees and their families from Puerto Rico, St. Thomas and St. John, were personally affected by Hurricanes Irma and Maria and lost their homes or were significantly impacted (e.g. flooding, damage).

As in previous emergency situations, U.S. Customs and Border Protection’s emergency response is conducted in accordance with the Department of Homeland Security’s National Response Framework.

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