GSA, CBP accept land donation at Raul Hector Castro Land Port of Entry

(From left to right) Anthony Kleppe, Mayor Robert Uribe, City of Douglas, AZ, Petra Horne, Acting Director of Field Operations, and Margaret Baldenegro, Port Director of the Raul Hector Castro LPOE addressed guests during the land acceptance ceremony at the Raul Hector Castro Land Port of Entry in Douglas, AZ.

On Friday, September 14, the U.S. General Services Administration (GSA) and U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) formally accepted of a parcel of land adjacent to the Raul Hector Castro Land Port of Entry (LPOE) in Douglas, AZ. The ceremony, attended by 40 guests, included remarks from Robert Uribe, Mayor of the City of Douglas, Anthony Kleppe, GSA Region 9 LPOE Program Manager, Petra Horne, Acting Director of Field Operations, and Margarette Valdenegro, Port Director for the Raul Hector Castro LPOE.

The land, donated by the City of Douglas, will serve as a parking lot for the CBP officers who work at the port.

“This parking lot, which our partners at the City of Douglas have allowed CBP to utilize for a number of years, represents a huge investment by the people of Douglas,” said Kleppe. “By donating it to the United States, GSA will now be able to provide security improvements for the employees who work at the port, and for the government-owned vehicles that have had to find space in the congested Raul Hector Castro Land Port of Entry”. 

Guests at the event included law enforcement agencies, community leaders and members of the Castro family. CBP and GSA used section 482 of the “Cross-Border Trade Enhancement Act of 2016” to accept the land donation to further CBP’s vital mission.