The Customs and Border Protection agency is now offering a Spanish-language information service, in what the agency says is a “first step” toward providing Spanish-speakers a more effective means of communicating with agents responsible for protecting the nation’s borders.
The agency announced this week that its CPB Information Center will now be available to receive complaints, answer questions, and take tips from people who primarily speak Spanish.
“This is CBP’s first step toward providing people whose primary language is Spanish the means to contact the CBP Information Center with their questions, tips about illegal activity, and compliments or complaints about their interaction with CBP employees,” CBP said in a press release.
The Spanish-language CBP Information Center online is similar to the one available in English, which features an “Ask A Question” section, a “Give Us a Compliment” section, a “Problem? Complaint?” section and the option to take a survey about CBP. It also features sections on “Top Travel Topics” and “Top Import/Export Topics.”
In addition to the online Spanish-language assistance options, the CBP Information will also have the capacity to respond to phone calls and emails in Spanish. The agency said it plans to monitor the volume of calls and emails to determine the staffing and resource needs to provide the service.
While there is now the option for Spanish speakers to call and email the CBP Information Center in their native tongue, due to expected high call volume, CBP still advises people to use their help website.
“With this new service, we expect a high volume of emails and calls when contacting the CBP Information Center at 877-CBP-5511 or 202-325-8000, which may result in some delays. As an alternative, we encourage people to refer to information found in the online frequently asked questions section,” the agency added.
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