Mr. Pete Flores holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Criminal Justice Administration from San Diego State University. He was a senior executive at the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University. Currently, he serves as the Acting Deputy Commissioner of U.S. Customs and Border Protection. He is responsible for nearly 60,000 employees and a budget of over $18.5 billion. He oversees the daily operations of CBP’s expansive mission, including matters related to trade, travel, and national security.
He joined the U.S. Customs Service in 1988, where he worked as an inspector in Calexico until 1996. Subsequently, Flores served as the Director of Field Operations for the San Diego Field Office, where he supervised 2,488 employees that were assigned to five land border ports of entry in Andrade, Calexico, Tecate, Otay Mesa, and San Ysidro. The San Diego Local Office also encompasses San Diego’s Lindbergh Field, including the Port of San Diego, the Cross Border Xpress, and Brown Field. From 2020 to 2021, he served as the Acting Executive Assistant Commissioner for Operations Support, providing leadership and direction across the broad spectrum of capabilities supporting CBP operations and mission execution across eight subcomponents: the Office of Intelligence, Information, and Incident Coordination Center, Laboratories and Scientific Services, Law Enforcement Safety and Compliance, Office of International Affairs, Requirements Planning, Analysis and Evaluation Division, Mission Support Division, and the Office of the Chief Medical Officer.
In his professional career, he also served as the Deputy Director of Trade, overseeing all trade, cargo operations, fines, penalties, and seizures for CBP field operations in Southern California. His area of responsibility included the ports of Otay Mesa, San Ysidro, the Port of San Diego, Tecate, Calexico, and Andrade.