MIAMI: U.S. Customs and Border Protection has announced that Ms. Diane J. Sabatino will serve as the new Director, Field Operations (DFO) for the Miami and Tampa Field Offices.
Ms. Sabatino begins her new role on Monday, Aug. 24. As DFO, she will oversee the work of more than 2,200 front-line federal officers, agricultural specialists, trade and mission support personnel across Florida.
CBP Office of Field Operations in Florida includes travel and trade facilitation and securing over 1,200 miles of the coastal border. The Miami Field Office encompasses five ports that stretch over 313 miles of Florida coastline, within which there are five seaports, including the top two cruise ship ports in the world; and nine airports, with Miami International Airport (MIA) ranking as the second busiest international airport among U.S. airports.
The Tampa Field Office encompasses the Area Ports of Tampa, Orlando, and Jacksonville. Both Field Offices also provide support to the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, Associate Chief Counsel, the U.S. Attorney’s Office, the South Florida Federal Executive Board, and numerous other governmental agencies.
“Our personnel in CBP’s Office of Field Operations have been and continue to be our greatest asset,” said Sabatino. “I’m excited about advancing the CBP vision and am committed to protecting the public and fostering economic security through international trade and travel. Our highly trained CBP Officers, Agriculture Specialists and support personnel in Florida collaborate seamlessly with a variety of federal, state, tribal and local partners.”
Since 2011, Ms. Sabatino has served as the CBP Port Director at the Miami Seaport, overseeing all maritime cargo, agriculture, passenger, and trade operations. In March 2014, she was honored by World Trade Center Miami at the International Women’s Day event as one of the community’s leaders who has made significant contributions in advancing international trade and business in Florida. In 2013, she served as Acting Port Director, John F. Kennedy International Airport, in Jamaica, New York, and as Acting DFO, in Baltimore, Maryland.
In 2008, Ms. Sabatino was appointed as Assistant Port Director, Passenger Operations, at Miami International Airport. In that capacity, she led a staff of over 900 personnel and was responsible for overseeing all international passenger inspection and enforcement activities. She was actively involved in Operation Safe Return, supporting the repatriation of over 15,000 U.S. citizens and 1,200 humanitarian/medical paroles of Haitian nationals, in both Florida and Haiti, following the earthquake in 2010. During her career, Ms. Sabatino also served as the Border Security Coordinator for the Miami Field Office following a two-year assignment as a Field Liaison Officer in OFO Headquarters.
Ms. Sabatino, who has 17 years of Federal Service, began her Federal career as an Immigration Inspector at John F. Kennedy International Airport.
She is a graduate of Fordham University, New York City, with a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Sociology and a minor in Philosophy.
CBP also announced that Mr. Christopher D. Maston has been selected as the Port Director for Miami International Airport after serving as the Acting Port Director.
In this role, Mr. Maston will lead 1,400 CBP employees and oversee operations at 12 facilities, including two Miami passenger terminals, three general aviation centers, four courier hubs, and an international mail facility, with over 19.4 million passenger and crew and 188,692 flights processed annually.
