Ahern: Broker license processing delays “unacceptable”

Ahern: Broker license processing delays “unacceptable”

Ahern: Broker license processing delays “unacceptable”

Ahern

   Acting Customs and Border Protection Commissioner Jayson Ahern said last week that delays in the processing of applications for customs brokers licenses are a significant problem that the federal agency needs to rectify.
   Ahern was asked about the delays during a question and answer session of the National Customs Brokers and Forwarders Association of America conference in Rancho Mirage, Calif.
   One broker in attendance said eight to 12 months was not an unusual timeline for the application process.
   'The system is broken and needs an overhaul,' Ahern said. 'We need to do the background checks, but it's on us. The responsibility ultimately lies with CBP.'
   It was suggested by others in attendance that the holdup often comes from the FBI, which conducts the background checks on potential brokers and is bogged down with thousands of such checks from CBP and other government agencies. But Ahern said that CBP, as the agency that interacts with brokers, must take responsibility.
   'It's unacceptable for it to take this long to process licenses,' he said.