In a news release issued this week, U.S. Travel Association Executive Vice President for Public Affairs and Policy, Tori Barnes, reacted to reports that Customs and Border Protection (CBP) staffing shortages will disrupt the Global Entry program for the expedited clearance of pre-approved members passing through U.S. airports and international borders.
"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," she said in her statement.
The Department of Homeland Security's (DHS) Trusted Traveler Programs website has already posted an announcement alerting applicants that: "The extended partial government shutdown has resulted in a backlog…of applications and renewals."
CNN reports that U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) wrote in a 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." It continued, "Regrettably, this situation has forced the cancellation of some scheduled appointments and may make it difficult to schedule an immediate interview."
In the absence of the $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).
Last month, DHS diverted hundreds of TSA officers to the Mexican border to support CBP in handling the escalating immigration crisis and it was speculated that DHS would also be appropriating the nearly $1 million in loose change left behind by passengers in U.S. airports in 2018-funds typically used by the TSA to improve aviation security-to bolster increased border operations.
Disturbed by these latest developments, Barnes continued in her statement:
"Global Entry has been a shining example of effective and innovative post-9/11 policymaking: 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 that resources for Homeland Security functions are not keeping pace with the shifting array of challenges that face the agency's important work.
"We need a broad and comprehensive national conversation about the reforms and investments that are needed to properly secure our entry points and transportation systems. It's not just security that's at stake, but economic growth as well."
CBP is suggesting that Global Entry applicants schedule their interview appointments with the expectation that availability will be limited through September 30, 2019. The agency pointed out that some, conditionally-approved Global Entry applicants can complete their interview without a prior appointment if they happen to be arriving in the U.S. on an international flight at participating airports.
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