There was a changing of the guard at the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) last week, under which Boston’s Area Port Director, Clint Lamm, was officially made the organization’s Preclearance Director.
That new role puts Lamm in command of 600 law enforcement officers and agriculture specialists scattered across 15 preclearance sites in six countries. These experts oversee inspections and admissibility for passengers and their luggage heading to the U.S. from foreign ports. Last year alone, they precleared 19.1 million travelers coming into the country.
Lamm was appointed in a military-like ceremony, the culmination of federal work he has pursued since 1998. At that time, he began work for the CBP as an immigration inspector in Florida. Since then, he has worked as a deputy director within the Preclearance Field Office, as director of alternative funding programs, executive advisor to the Acting Commissioner and Acting Executive Director alike for Labor and Employee Relations.
Lamm holds a Master of Arts in Diplomacy from Norwich University in Northfield, Vt., and a Bachelor of Science in Criminal Justice from Kaplan University in Davenport, Iowa.
Lamm will now preside over preclearance operations that have been working to protect the country since 1952. Last year, preclearance operations prevented 7,995 “inadmissible” travelers from boarding flights to the United States.