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Border czar Alan Bersin sets up BorderWorks Group

Anti-Trump bump

Bill Clinton chum Alan Bersin, leading a firm that facilitates border-related transactions, touts connections
to former U.S. government officials.
Bill Clinton chum Alan Bersin, leading a firm that facilitates border-related transactions, touts connections to former U.S. government officials.

Clinton administration border czar Alan Bersin, who subsequently ran San Diego city schools before becoming Barack Obama’s Customs commissioner until failing to get Senate confirmation, could soon be cleaning up as the new anti-Trump of the Mexican border.

Bersin and two other Obama administration Homeland Security Department veterans have set up the BorderWorks Group, which bills itself as “a specialized firm led by Alan Bersin that brings together leading policy experts on 21st Century border management and the next generation of homeland security. With a unique strategic perspective on how borders have evolved and best practices in border management, we help clients improve security and facilitate the movement of people and goods across international borders.”

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The other two principals are Ben Rohrbaugh, an ex-Obama presidential campaign staffer, and lawyer Nate Bruggeman, another Obama partisan. Both were at the center of a 2015 federal investigation of charges that Customs and Border Protection under then–acting Customs commissioner Bersin engaged in improper hiring procedures.

Now in his 70s, Bersin made a splash in San Diego after he married Lisa Foster, the daughter of clothing and real estate tycoon Stan Foster, and moved with her from Los Angeles in 1992 to San Diego to run his college chum Bill Clinton’s local presidential campaign. Clinton subsequently named Bersin U.S. Attorney, and he later moved on to become superintendent of schools, mounting an ultimately failed restructuring effort. Per Bersin’s new website, “A new air cargo terminal facility in Mexico hired BorderWorks to evaluate opportunities to expedite the movement of cargo into the United States, including potentially through a collaborative relationship with U.S. Customs and Border Protection.”

Bersin is also touting his influential connections from his government days. “We have partnerships with former senior officials from both the Mexican and Canadian governments, as well as additional former U.S. government officials, that allow us to bring the right expertise to the table for you. Whether it is strategic advice on the threat environment, or technical expertise on border processing and information technology systems, we will put together the right team to solve your problem.”

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Bill Clinton chum Alan Bersin, leading a firm that facilitates border-related transactions, touts connections
to former U.S. government officials.
Bill Clinton chum Alan Bersin, leading a firm that facilitates border-related transactions, touts connections to former U.S. government officials.

Clinton administration border czar Alan Bersin, who subsequently ran San Diego city schools before becoming Barack Obama’s Customs commissioner until failing to get Senate confirmation, could soon be cleaning up as the new anti-Trump of the Mexican border.

Bersin and two other Obama administration Homeland Security Department veterans have set up the BorderWorks Group, which bills itself as “a specialized firm led by Alan Bersin that brings together leading policy experts on 21st Century border management and the next generation of homeland security. With a unique strategic perspective on how borders have evolved and best practices in border management, we help clients improve security and facilitate the movement of people and goods across international borders.”

Sponsored
Sponsored

The other two principals are Ben Rohrbaugh, an ex-Obama presidential campaign staffer, and lawyer Nate Bruggeman, another Obama partisan. Both were at the center of a 2015 federal investigation of charges that Customs and Border Protection under then–acting Customs commissioner Bersin engaged in improper hiring procedures.

Now in his 70s, Bersin made a splash in San Diego after he married Lisa Foster, the daughter of clothing and real estate tycoon Stan Foster, and moved with her from Los Angeles in 1992 to San Diego to run his college chum Bill Clinton’s local presidential campaign. Clinton subsequently named Bersin U.S. Attorney, and he later moved on to become superintendent of schools, mounting an ultimately failed restructuring effort. Per Bersin’s new website, “A new air cargo terminal facility in Mexico hired BorderWorks to evaluate opportunities to expedite the movement of cargo into the United States, including potentially through a collaborative relationship with U.S. Customs and Border Protection.”

Bersin is also touting his influential connections from his government days. “We have partnerships with former senior officials from both the Mexican and Canadian governments, as well as additional former U.S. government officials, that allow us to bring the right expertise to the table for you. Whether it is strategic advice on the threat environment, or technical expertise on border processing and information technology systems, we will put together the right team to solve your problem.”

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Comments

It seems that crap always floats to the top.

Feb. 14, 2018

and the stinkiest turds take several flushes to clear the bowl

Feb. 14, 2018

Speaking of crap, if Bersin wants to make a difference, he should be negotiating with TJ and Mexican govt. officials to get them to stop dumping their raw sewage that ends up at our southern beaches. But there's no money in that for Bersin, nor does he care about IB.

Feb. 14, 2018

To all those that survived the Bersin years at SDUSD...."He's Back!" Little Big Man....how somebody that supposedly touts workers rights could even have a connection to Bersin is beyond comprehension.

Feb. 14, 2018

This is probably just a last gasp attempt to cash in on his dubious credentials. Sell his "expertise" in trans-border affairs for many hundreds of dollars per hour as a consultant. He'd like to make any client believe he is also peddling influence across the border, but to anyone who followed his staggering, stumbling career, it's obvious he has no influence, and especially in Mexico. Those pols there would have him for lunch if he made any attempt to pull strings, and would enjoy the spectacle. The other two principals in the firm come across as a pair of lightweight Obamaites with nothing to claim but their closeness to the ex president, if they in fact had any.

Feb. 14, 2018

Does this mean Bersin has moved back to San Diego?

I mainly recall a leisurely classic Bersin advert/interview with friendly Pro Publica reporter Sebastian Rotella in early 2017 when Bersin, newly out of work, was asked about "the travel ban on people from seven predominantly Muslim countries."

Bersin memorably replied,"The reason for the suspension, it's not a ban, has been to provide an opportunity to do a review of the vetting and screening procedures to be sure that the full resources --intelligence-wise and data-wise -- have been employed to prevent dangerous people from coming into the country."

Feb. 16, 2018
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