Tori Barnes, U.S. Travel Association Executive Vice President for Public Affairs and Policy expressed concern to reports that Customs and Border Protection (CBP) staffing shortages will disrupt the Global Entry program for expedited clearance of pre-approved members passing through U.S. airports and international borders.
Ina statement she said, “The American travel community is deeply concerned that Customs and Border Protection staffing shortages will disrupt the Global Entry program, a critical tool for both travel facilitation and travel security.”
Applicants have already been alerted on the website of The Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) Trusted Traveler Programs, “The extended partial government shutdown has resulted in a backlog…of applications and renewals.”
In the absence of the U.S. dollars 4.5 billion in supplemental funding that the White House has requested to increase security at the U.S.’ southern border, DHS is making cuts to its other agencies’ budgets and operations, including those of the Transportation Security Administration (TSA).
As per U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) statement, CBP is temporarily reducing staff at Global Entry Enrollment Centers nationwide and reassigning them to support frontline traveler processing during the busy summer months.
Barnes said that Global Entry has been a shining example of effective and innovative post-9/11 policymaking. It is a program that bolsters security by thoroughly pre-vetting entrants into the U.S. and simultaneously boosts economic activity by streamlining the entry process. Interruption of Global Entry interviews is an unsettling sign.
