Local News Media Attend CBP's First Media Day Citizen's Academy Hosted by Brownsville Port

Brownsville, Texas – Michael Freeman, port director, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Brownsville port of entry hosted a first of its kind CBP Field Operations Media Day Citizens Academy.

The CBP Field Operations Brownsville Media Day Citizens’ Academy is part of a continued aggressive plan by Port Director Freeman to foster a better working relationship with the local news media in a concerted effort to better serve the communities in which we live and work. The one-day course provides media participants with a better hands-on working knowledge and understanding of CBP.

The news media academy consists of a series of classroom activities, practical participation and several hands-on scenarios. The members of the news media will learn from first-hand experience during the media day citizens’ academy. The Brownsville port of entry plans to hold several more media day academy classes each year with each class consisting of approximately 12 student participants. There is no registration or attendance cost to anyone who enrolls in the academy.

The goal of the Media Day Citizens’ Academy was to create a better understanding, improve communication, and partnership between the media participants and CBP through education and hands-on experiences.

The first graduating Media Day Citizens’ Academy class consisted of members from throughout our media community. Represented in this Brownsville’s first Media Day Citizens’ Academy were members from the following news organizations:

XHRIO Fox 2, KGBT TV 4, KRGV TV 5, XHAB TV 7, XTLM TV 40, KNVO TV 48, El Manana, El Bravo and The Brownsville Herald.

“Reaching out to our communities through the news media is one of many methods we use to get our message out to the traveling public. Today, the news media learned the importance of the work we undertake and the reasons behind our actions on a daily basis at CBP Field Operations. I congratulate and applaud each member of the news media for attending our first Media Day Citizens’ Academy. I challenge each one of them to tell the story of CBP as they have seen it from behind-the-scenes,” said Michael Freeman, CBP port director, Brownsville port of entry.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection is the unified border agency within the Department of Homeland Security charged with the management, control and protection of our nation's borders at and between the official ports of entry. CBP is charged with keeping terrorists and terrorist weapons out of the country while enforcing hundreds of U.S. laws.