James C. Harris is a federal law enforcement professional with over 20 years of experience. He is the special agent in charge for Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) in Baltimore, Maryland. He is responsible for leading over 160 special agents, criminal analysts, and support staff. James has direct oversight of all investigative and enforcement operations targeting transnational criminal organizations that exploit America’s legitimate travel, trade, and financial infrastructure for illicit purposes.
Prior to this assignment, James was the special agent in charge and the deputy special agent in charge at HSI Detroit, which covers Michigan and Ohio. He was responsible for investigations associated with over 850 miles of international border with Canada and 79 border crossings and ports of entry.
James has held numerous leadership positions in Washington, DC, and field offices around the United States. He has led efforts in disrupting and dismantling national security threats, violent crime networks, drug trafficking organizations, and anti-money laundering. James was the deputy chief of staff to the director of US Immigration and Customs Enforcement and the chief of staff to the deputy director. In these roles, he was a senior advisor providing daily strategic input on investigations, enforcement activity, and human capital to workforce of over 20,000 employees.
James began his career in 2000 as an unpaid intern with the US Customs Service, Office of Field Operations (Customs and Border Protection) at Cincinnati Northern Kentucky International Airport. He went on to become a special agent with the US Customs Service in Seattle, Washington, prior to the creation of the Department of Homeland Security. In 2022, James achieved the position classification of Senior Executive Service.
James holds a Master of Public Administration from the University of Pennsylvania, an MBA from George Mason University, a BA in criminal justice from the University of Cincinnati, and an Executive Certificate in Public Leadership from the Harvard Kennedy School.
