Davies Takes Oath as Customs Port Director

Matthew S. Davies, U.S. Customs' new Chicago-area port director.

Matthew S. Davies, U.S. Customs and Border Protection’s Chicago-area port director, was sworn into office during a Customs’ Chicago field operations change of command ceremony last week.

As the Chicago-area port director, Davies will direct Customs’ operations and enforcement efforts at 22 ports of entry and inspection stations operating in Illinois, Indiana and Wisconsin. In addition, the Area Port of Chicago is responsible for Customs’ operations in 35 foreign trade zones, 39 bonded warehouses and 172 container freight stations.

Prior to his current assignment in Chicago, Davies served as the area port director for Dublin preclearance in Ireland, where he was responsible for Customs’ operations at both the Dublin and Shannon airports and was the Customs’ country team lead to the U.S. Embassy in Dublin. He began his career in Buffalo, N.Y., with U.S. Immigration and Naturalization in 2002, where he worked for five years before being assigned to Customs’ headquarters in Washington, D.C., in 2007.

Although the ceremony marked the formal change of command, Davies reported to and occupied his new Chicago post on Dec. 16, 2012, replacing Carl Ambroson, who had been Customs’ Chicago-area port director since 2005.