Border czar Alan Bersin sets up BorderWorks Group

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.”

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.”