Brian King, seated at his computer, was at the Grand Portage border recently introducing the “Global Entry Program” to the U.S. Customs staff. King is the port director/public affairs liaison for the U.S. Customs and Border Protection Agency. The program will allow low-risk travelers to pass through airports and Customs much quicker than those who aren’t in the program.
For the cost of $100 and a clean background check one can make traveling through U.S. borders much quicker and less stressful when entering the United States at larger international airports, said Brian King, port director/public affairs liaison for the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) agency. King, who is located in Warroad, Minnesota, was in Grand Portage on Thursday, May 29 to unveil the Global Entry Protection program to the staff at the Pigeon River border crossing.
Begun in April 2008 as a pilot program at the John F. Kennedy International airport in Jamaica, New York, and two other airports, Global Entry is one of four “Trusted Traveler” programs U.S. Customs and Border Protection uses throughout the country and abroad to screen pre-identified, lower risk populations.
“These programs allow our CBP officers to quickly process low risk travelers,” King explained.
Interested individuals must apply online, said King, and undergo a background investigation and complete an in-person interview with a CBP officer. If no disqualifying information is found, travelers will get a Global Entry card they can use at nearly 300 kiosks located at 34 U.S. airports and 10 preclearance locations in Canada and Ireland.
The $100 application fee allows for five years of membership, “but if the applicant doesn’t pass the security check, it’s non-refundable,” said King.
CBP officers at Grand Portage will each receive several days of training to learn the new protocol. In Warroad, all of the agents have been trained in the Global Entry Program, said King.
Global Entry has reduced wait times more than 70 percent with more than 75 percent of travelers using their cards to pass through the check-in gate in less than five minutes.
Some other advantages of using the pre-check expedited screening lanes include bypassing the passport line, keeping your shoes, belt, and light outerwear jacket on. You can leave your laptop in your bag too, said King.
Currently most truckers coming into the U.S. have FAST certification. FAST is a commercial clearance program for known low-risk shipments entering the U.S. from Mexico and Canada.
To participate in FAST everyone from the driver to the manufacturer and importer is certified under the Customs- Trade Partnership Against Terrorism (C-TPART). There are 78,000 drivers currently enrolled in the program and participants receive a FAST membership card. King said that between 50 and 100 trucks a day are screened at the Grand Portage border, and most have FAST certification.
NEXUS is a travel program for air, land, and sea border crossings along the northern border. Both the Canada Border Services Agency and Customs and Border Protection Agencies work together on this program. As of 2014, 834,000 members are enrolled in the NEXUS program.
What other benefits are there of carrying a Global Entry card?
“Global Entry members are issued a Global Entry version of the SENTRI card which allows expedited entry into the U.S. from Canada and Mexico using the NEXUS, SENTRI and Ready Lanes at land ports of entry.
“The new card operates as a SENTRI card for Global Entry members. The Global Entry card is a radio frequency identification technology-enabled document that may be used by U.S. citizens when entering the U.S. through a land or sea port of entry from Canada, Mexico or the Caribbean,” said King.
NEXUS costs $50 and participants receive a photo identification card that is good for five years. NEXUS members can use Global Entry provided that their fingerprints and documents are on file.
As of December 29, 2010, Global Entry eligibility was expanded to all NEXUS members, U.S. citizens, lawful permanent residents and members of SENTRI, and all Mexican citizens.
SENTRI (Secure Electronic Network for Travelers Rapid Inspection) said King, is a program used to help speed up trusted travelers crossing along the southwest border. Participants receive a proximity Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) SENTRI card. With over 336,000 members enrolled in SENTRI, they account for 14 percent of the cross-border traffic along the Southwest border.
While all of these programs aid travelers, they also cut the costs to the government. As of May 7, 2013, Global Entry kiosks had been used 4,624,544 times by GEP members, saving approximately 20,580 inspection hours for CBP officers.
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