Eric Peters

Eric Peters is currently the Director of the National Targeting Center – Passenger Division (NTC P) at U.S. Customs and Border Protection, part of the United States Department of Homeland Security. In this role, Mr. Peters leads a team responsible for one of the nation's core security efforts: screening approximately one million travelers each day to identify and prevent high-risk individuals from entering the United States. He also oversees pre-travel screening for visa and Electronic System for Travel Authorization (ESTA) applicants, and directs operations targeting a wide range of threats, including terrorism, counterintelligence, fraud, child exploitation, and other cross-border criminal activity. From December 2023 to February 2026, Mr. Peters served as Principal Deputy Director of the Terrorist Screening Center (TSC) on a Department of Homeland Security Joint Duty Assignment. The TSC manages the U.S. government's consolidated watchlist, which is used for security screening and vetting across multiple agencies, including border security, law enforcement, and transportation security. In this capacity, Mr. Peters led interagency programs focused on identity management, operational coordination, strategic priorities, and redress procedures—ensuring that security information was applied lawfully and effectively. He co-hosted the Watchlist Advisory Council, improved governance and data quality, established a new redress working group, and helped modernize detection programs for national security threats, including initiatives to disrupt fentanyl trafficking. Mr. Peters has been with the National Targeting Center since 2011, serving in leadership roles such as Deputy Director and Assistant Director for the Passenger Division. He has managed large teams, resolved significant budget challenges, and helped develop key pre-travel vetting programs, including the Terrorist Travel Prevention Cell and the first National Vetting Center processes for passenger screening. Mr. Peters has also held high-priority leadership positions across the Department of Homeland Security, including Asia Division Director in CBP's Office of International Affairs, Director of the DHS-led Visa Waiver Program Office, and Assistant Port Director at John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York, where he led early COVID-19 passenger screening protocols. Earlier in his career, Mr. Peters worked in targeting, fraudulent document analysis, alien smuggling interdiction, and as a frontline officer at major airports. Mr. Peters holds a Bachelor of Science in Criminal Justice from California State University–Sacramento. His contributions to security and border management have been recognized with several honors, including the DHS Secretary's Award for Team Excellence, the Commissioner's Mission Integration Award, the Commissioner's Blue Eagle Award, and the Dean Melendez Anti-Terrorism Award.