John P. Sanders

John P. Sanders
Acting Commissioner of U.S. Customs and Border Protection
In office
April 15, 2019 – July 5, 2019
PresidentDonald Trump
DeputyRobert E. Perez
Preceded byKevin McAleenan
Succeeded byMark Morgan (acting)
Chief Operating Officer of U.S. Customs and Border Protection
In office
July 2018 – April 15, 2019
PresidentDonald Trump
Succeeded byMark Morgan
Assistant Administrator of the Office of Security Capabilities at the Transportation Security Administration
In office
August 31, 2012 – December 2014
PresidentBarack Obama
Personal details
EducationUniversity of California San Diego
San Diego State University

John P. Sanders is an American technologist[clarification needed] and business executive, who is the former Acting Commissioner of U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP).

Background

[edit]

Sanders holds a Bachelor of Science in Physics from University of California San Diego and a Masters of Science in Physics from San Diego State University.[1][2]

He was a co-founder of Reveal Imaging Technologies, a security screening technology company, where he served as Executive Vice President.[3] After Reveal was acquired by SAIC[who?],[1] he became a Vice President at that company. Sanders has also served as CEO at Pramantha Solutions and has worked for various other companies.[3]

Government service

[edit]

Transportation Security Administration

[edit]

Sanders served as Assistant Administrator for the Office of Security Capabilities at the Transportation Security Administration. Prior to becoming assistant administrator for the office, he had been the deputy assistant administrator of the same office.[1][3]

U.S. Customs and Border Protection

[edit]

In July 2018, Sanders became Chief Operating Officer of U.S. Customs and Border Protection, and in April 2019 became Acting Commissioner of that agency.[4][5]

Death of Carlos Gregorio Hernandez Vasquez

[edit]

Sanders resigned on July 5, 2019, following the death of a 16-year-old unaccompanied child, Carlos Gregorio Hernandez Vasquez, in CBP custody.[6] After the release of security footage, it was revealed that the CBP's description of how Vasquez's body was discovered was inaccurate.[7] Following the event, the Congressional Hispanic Caucus requested that the Department of Homeland Security Office of Inspector General resolve the investigation of the matter to determine whether the CBP intentionally misrepresented the circumstances of the minor's death, and attempted to suppress video surveillance footage of the tragedy.[8] Sanders had said that the memory will stay forever hoping that it will never be repeated. [9] Vasquez was the fifth Guatemalan minor to die after being apprehended at the US-Mexico border since December 2019.[10] He was diagnosed with the flu before he died. He was on his way to be reunited with family members. He had spent seven days in the custody of the Border Patrol, far longer than the 72-hour maximum required by law.[11] After the body was found by his cell mate, CBP feigned ignorance. The footage video was shared by the local authorities.[12]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ a b c "TSA announces John Sanders as Assistant Administrator for Office of Security Capabilities". TSA.gov. Transportation Security Administration. August 31, 2012. Archived from the original on August 15, 2019. Retrieved August 15, 2019.
  2. ^ "Chief Operating Officer John P. Sanders". CBP.gov. U.S. Customs and Border Protection. July 23, 2018. Retrieved August 15, 2019.
  3. ^ a b c Johnson, Bridget (April 15, 2019). "CBP's COO John Sanders Picked to Fill McAleenan's Role as Acting Commissioner". HSToday.us. Homeland Security Today. Retrieved August 15, 2019.
  4. ^ AllOnGeorgia (April 29, 2019). "CBP to Build Temporary Facilities to Address Humanitarian Crisis on Southwest Border". AllOnGeorgia. Retrieved March 19, 2022.
  5. ^ Cummings, William. "California college yanks invite for Customs and Border Protection to join job fair". USA TODAY. Retrieved March 19, 2022.
  6. ^ Sands, Geneva; Alvarez, Priscilla (July 11, 2019). "EXCLUSIVE: John Sanders on why he left after two and a half months as acting CBP commissioner". CNN. Retrieved August 15, 2019.
  7. ^ Moore, Robert; Schmidt, Susan; Jameel, Maryam (December 5, 2019). "Inside the Cell Where a Sick 16-Year-Old Boy Died in Border Patrol Care". ProPublica. Retrieved November 10, 2021.
  8. ^ "Letter to DHS OIG re Carlos Surveillance Video" (PDF). chc.house.gov. December 6, 2019.
  9. ^ "Deaths Of Migrant Children Haunt Former Official As Border Surge Increases". NPR. Retrieved November 10, 2021.
  10. ^ "Guatemalan teenage boy dies in U.S. Border Patrol custody". Reuters. May 20, 2019. Retrieved November 10, 2021.
  11. ^ Carranza, Rafael. "16-year-old dies at Border Patrol station, is 5th minor to die in U.S. custody in 6 months". The Arizona Republic. Retrieved November 10, 2021.
  12. ^ "This Video Of A Child Dying In U.S. Custody Is Horrifying. You Should Watch It Anyway". wbur.org. December 9, 2019. Retrieved November 10, 2021.