DHS' Global Entry program grows
In nearly five months of operation, the Homeland Security Department’s Global Entry international trusted traveler program has enrolled approximately 4,000 members, DHS officials announced.
The department's U.S. Customs and Border Protection began operating Global Entry at New York’s JFK International, Washington-Dulles and Houston airports June 6. Earlier this month, it added four additional enrollment centers and kiosks at airports in Atlanta, Chicago, Los Angeles and Miami.
The program operates similarly to the domestic Registered Traveler program sponsored by the Transportation Security Administration, vendors and airports.
Under Global Entry, travelers provide fingerprints and undergo a security clearance and personal interview with a CBP official. Once cleared, upon return to the United States from an international location, they are eligible to bypass passport processing and use kiosks at the airport that read their passports electronically. They also must provide a fingerprint scan to verify that it matches their prints on file.
The program is intended to expedite travel for low-risk international passengers, Paul Morris, CBP’s executive director of admissibility and passenger programs, said Oct. 27 in a news release.
To date, more than 1,700 Global Entry members have used the kiosks at the three original airport locations, CPB said
About the Author
Alice Lipowicz is a staff writer covering government 2.0, homeland security and other IT policies for Federal Computer Week. Follow her on Twitter: @AliceLipowicz.