CBP Global Entry program enrolls 1M ‘trusted travelers’
The Luis Muñoz Marín International Airport was included in the second phase of the pilot program in 2010, initially enrolling 171 travelers.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection announced Monday that one million people have been given the designation of a ‘trusted traveler’ through the Global Entry program launched five years ago, which provides arriving travelers with a quicker, more efficient and more secure entry process into the United States.
Global Entry was launched on June 6, 2008, as a pilot program at Houston’s George Bush Intercontinental Airport, Washington’s Dulles International Airport and New York City’s John F. Kennedy International Airport.
The Luis Muñoz Marín International Airport was included in the second phase of the pilot program in 2010, initially enrolling 171 travelers. By the end of Fiscal 2013, the program at the Carolina airport had reached 5,499 individuals that have become trusted travelers, with a total of 2,641 enrollments this last fiscal year.
“Global Entry is a vital part of CBP’s efforts to maximize resources to facilitate the thousands of travelers that enter the country every day while enhancing border security at airports,” said Marcelino Borges, director of field operations for Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
Currently, Global Entry services are available at 44 airport locations. During the most recent peak travel season, more than 820,000 crossings were made using Global Entry kiosks, a 75 percent increase from 2012.
To qualify, an applicant must complete and submit an on-line application through the Global Online Enrollment System, which is available also in French and Spanish. In addition, Global Entry members who are U.S. and Canadian citizens also receive the benefits of TSA’s PreCheck program.
