New U.S. Customs and Border Protection Santa Teresa port director Michael Quinonez sworn in during change of command ceremony

SANTA TERESA N.M.  -- U.S. Customs and Border Protection Santa Teresa Port Director Michael Quinonez was sworn into office July 10 during a formal change of command ceremony. Family, friends, colleagues, and local dignitaries attended the event at Dona Ana War Eagle Air Museum.

The ceremony included the CBP Honor Guard posting the colors, the national anthem and remarks from El Paso Director of Field Operations Hector Mancha. The ceremony also included the passing of the El Paso Field Office guidon from DFO Mancha to Mr. Quinonez. After accepting the guidon, Mr. Quinonez was administered the CBP oath of office by DFO Mancha. The new port director then addressed the audience.

“I am truly honored and humbled to accept the role of Port Director for U.S. Customs and Border Protection at the Area Port of Santa Teresa, New Mexico. Standing before you, I’m reminded of the dedication, sacrifice, and professionalism that defines our organization,” said CBP Santa Teresa Port Director Michael Quinonez. “Taking on this role is both a privilege and a responsibility I do not take lightly.” 

In his new role as Santa Teresa port director Mr. Quinonez will work to ensure that the agency’s primary mission of preventing terrorists or weapons of terror from entering the United States is accomplished daily. Mr. Quinonez is also responsible for all immigration issues related to the admission and exclusion of people applying for entry into the United States. He also is responsible for customs and agriculture inspections at the ports of entry to ensure that all goods and people entering the United States do so in accordance with our laws and regulations, while ensuring that they are facilitated in their processing to support the global marketplace and the international tourism industries.

Mr. Quinonez has more than 23 years of service and brings with him extensive experience and skills in multiple operational environments to include land, commercial and international operations. Mr. Quinonez began his government career in 2002 with U.S. Customs and Border Protection assigned to the Area Port of Douglas, Arizona.

In his previous role as Supervisory Program Manager at the Tucson Field Office, supporting eight ports of entry across Arizona. He provided critical operational capabilities to enable mission success and served as the Border Security Coordinator, overseeing the Special Response Team, Tactical Terrorism Response Teams, Confidential Human Source Handler Program, CBP Task Force Officers, the Tucson Operations Center, and Tactical Analytical Intelligence Units.

Mr. Quiñonez has also held key roles in the Immigration Advisory Program, Joint Security Program, and at CBP Headquarters. Notably, he led the implementation of the Simplified Arrival and Biometric Entry-Exit system at land border ports of entry, advancing CBP’s biometric modernization efforts.

CBP Field Operations in 2008 adopted formal change of command ceremonies to unify the workforce and highlight the agency mission. Since its inception in March 2003, CBP has developed and implemented standards, policies and symbols to advance the internal and external recognition of the agency and to demonstrate the strides the agency has made as the guardians of the nation’s borders. The change of command ceremony is designed to meet those goals.