Title 19, Customs DutiesRelease 119-102
§1589a Enforcement Authority of Customs Officers
Title 19 › CHAPTER 4 — TARIFF ACT OF 1930 › SUBTITLE III — ADMINISTRATIVE PROVISIONS › Part V — Enforcement Provisions › § 1589a
Summary
Under the Secretary of the Treasury, a customs officer may do four main things. They can carry a firearm; serve and carry out court papers like orders, warrants, subpoenas, and summonses; arrest without a warrant for crimes they see happen or for felonies when they have reasonable grounds to believe someone has committed or is committing one; and carry out other law enforcement duties the Secretary assigns.
Full Legal Text
Title 19, §1589a
Customs Duties, Source: USLM XML via OLRC
Subject to the direction of the Secretary of the Treasury, an officer of the customs may—
(1)carry a firearm;
(2)execute and serve any order, warrant, subpena, summons, or other process issued under the authority of the United States;
(3)make an arrest without a warrant for any offense against the United States committed in the officer’s presence or for a felony, cognizable under the laws of the United States committed outside the officer’s presence if the officer has reasonable grounds to believe that the person to be arrested has committed or is committing a felony; and
(4)perform any other law enforcement duty that the Secretary of the Treasury may designate.
Legislative History
Notes & Related Subsidiaries
Editorial Notes
Codification Another section 589 of act June 17, 1930, as added by Pub. L. 98–473, title II, § 320, Oct. 12, 1984, 98 Stat. 2056, was classified to section 1589 of this title, prior to repeal by Pub. L. 100–690.
Prior Provisions
A prior section 589 of act
June 17, 1930, ch. 497, title IV, 46 Stat. 750, related to unlawful relanding and was classified to this section, prior to repeal by act
June 25, 1948, ch. 645, § 21, 62 Stat. 862, eff. Sept. 1, 1948. See section 544 of Title 18, Crimes and Criminal Procedure.
Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries
Effective Date
Section effective Oct. 15, 1984, see section 214(e) of Pub. L. 98–573, set out as an
Effective Date
of 1984 Amendment note under section 1304 of this title.
Reference
Citations & Metadata
Citation
19 U.S.C. § 1589a
Title 19, Customs Duties
Last Updated
Aug 21, 2026
Release point: 119-102