U.S. Customs and Border Protection Officer (CBPO) Steven Grden is assigned to the
Jacksonville DHS Intelligence Group (JDIG). As the most senior member of JDIG, CBPO Grden
is an integral part of the intelligence framework and mission for the Area Port of Jacksonville. In
his current role, he is responsible for proactively identifying trends and patterns indicative of
international smuggling of people, narcotics, and other contraband through concealment in cargo,
containers, and conveyances. His prior experiences have afforded him the exceptional
knowledge, skills, and abilities to analyze large data sets, identify anomalies, target suspect
shipments, and gather intelligence data for dissemination and referral for enforcement action.
CBPO Grden earned his Criminal Justice Bachelor’s degree with Cum Laude Honors. He served
with the Arizona Department of Corrections for three (3) years before graduating from the
Immigration Officer Basic Training Course at the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center
(FLETC) in 2003. From there he embarked on his first overseas assignment to Montreal, Canada
working Preclearance operations targeting high risk passengers destined to the U.S. In 2008, he
transferred to the Area Port of Jacksonville working in the Passenger Analysis Unit (PAU) and
the Anti-Terrorism Contraband Enforcement Team (A-TCET). He continued his progression
onward to the National Targeting Center - Cargo (NTC-C), International Fellowship Program
where he served as liaison to government representatives of Abu-Dhabi, France, and Mexico.
During his time at NTC-C he became a member of the Container Security Initiative (CSI)
working in collaboration with foreign ports regarding high-risk shipments for narcotics, trade
and national security concerns. Having formed a solid foundation in international relations,
CBPO Grden accepted a position as a Team Lead in CSI Dubai, United Arab Emirates (UAE).
CBPO Grden represented CBP professionally by speaking at international conferences and
providing border security training to foreign governments around the globe. After years abroad,
CBPO Grden returned home and continues to leverage his international and domestic contacts to
bring success to CBP domestically and within the Area Port of Jacksonville.
Steven has been happily married to Jina for 17 years and they have twin teenagers, Christian and
Stephanie. Steve and Jina split their free time between enjoying Christian’s success on the
Bishop Kenny Swim Team and cheering for Stephanie as she competes on the Cross Country
and Track Team. Christian helped lead Bishop Kenny to win the last two State Championships
and also competes on the Bolles Travel Swim Team. Stephanie’s efforts led the girls’ Cross
Country and Track Team to finish top 3 in the state last year and she is currently ranked in the state in multiple events.
