W. Ralph Basham

W. Ralph Basham, of Virginia, is Commissioner of U.S. Customs and Border Protection, the agency of the Department of Homeland Security responsible for managing, controlling, and securing our Nation’s borders." [1]

Basham replaced Robert C. Bonner, who resigned. [2]

Profiles

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," according to his official biography.

"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 [3], 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."

Related SourceWatch Resources

• Homeland defense
• homeland detention
• Homeland security
• illegal alien
• illegal immigration
• Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act of 1996
• immigration reform
• Minuteman Project: "Armed Rednecks at the Border"
• Patriot Act I
• Patriot Act II
• qualified alien
• REAL ID Act of 2005
• Systematic Alien Verification for Entitlements (SAVE)
• U.S. National Guard Troops along the U.S.-Mexico border

External links

• W. Ralph Basham in the Wikipedia.
• Profile: W. Ralph Basham, Department of Homeland Security.
• News Release: Nomination Sent to Senate, January 31, 2006.
• Arthur H. Rotstein, "New Border Chief: Walls Are Not the Answer," Associated Press (BreitBart.com), June 20, 2006.