Rodney S. Scott is the Commissioner of U.S. Customs and Border Protection. As the agency’s senior official, he is responsible for more than 67,000 employees, a budget of more than $19 billion and overseeing the daily operations of CBP’s expansive mission, including matters relating to trade, travel, and national security. With nearly three decades of operational experience, he is a known leader in customs and border security.
Commissioner Scott has been serving as the Senior Advisor in the Office of the Commissioner since January 2025 and most recently served as a Distinguished Senior Fellow with the Texas Public Policy Foundation.
Prior to his retirement from CBP in 2021, Commissioner Scott was the 24th Chief of the U.S. Border Patrol, taking command on February 2, 2020. He oversaw operations along the U.S. borders, including more than 5,000 miles with Canada, nearly 2,000 miles with Mexico, hundreds of coastal miles, and U.S. territories in the Caribbean. He led more than 20,000 Border Patrol agents and professional staff across the country as they carried out CBP's homeland security mission.
Commissioner Scott began his career with the U.S. Border Patrol on May 11, 1992, as a member of Academy Class 252. His first assignment was to the Imperial Beach Station, San Diego Sector as a frontline field agent. He promoted through the ranks and held numerous leadership positions at various stations and sectors along the Southwest Border such as Supervisory Border Patrol Agent, Field Operations Supervisor, Assistant Chief Patrol Agent, and Patrol Agent in Charge. He is the first Patrol Agent to become Commissioner of CBP.
In addition to his field assignments, midway through his 29-year career, Commissioner Scott took on several leadership and specialized assignments at CBP Headquarters in Washington, D.C. He served as an Assistant Chief within the Office of the Commissioner, Office of Anti-terrorism where he served as a principal advisor to the Commissioner and other senior leaders on anti-terrorism matters. He was later promoted to the Deputy Executive Director of the Office of Anti-terrorism and was subsequently appointed as the Director for the newly established U.S Customs and Border Protection, Incident Management and Operations Coordination Division.
In 2012, he achieved another milestone in his border security career when he was promoted to Deputy Chief Patrol Agent of the San Diego Sector. In 2016, Commissioner Scott was promoted to Chief Patrol Agent for El Centro Sector and subsequently assumed command for the San Diego Sector as the Chief Patrol Agent in 2017. In 2019, he temporarily served as the Acting Deputy Chief of the U.S. Border Patrol before being promoted to Chief in 2020.
Prior to his service in the Border Patrol, Commissioner Scott worked as a commercial pilot and studied Aviation Management earning his Commercial Pilot Certificate from Cochise College. He also graduated from the CBP Leadership Institute and the Naval Post Graduate School Executive Leaders program. Commissioner Scott and his wife, Tandee, have two daughters who proudly support his service.