Govt wants to expand expedited screening of low-risk, arriving travelers at more airports
By Eileen Sullivan, APThursday, November 19, 2009
Govt wants speedy screening at more airports
WASHINGTON — The Homeland Security Department wants to expand speedy screening of preapproved, low-risk air travelers arriving in the United States to most international airports in the country.
For more than a year, the department has been testing this program at seven airports across the country and found that participating travelers cut their average waiting time to be screened from 10 minutes to three.
The voluntary program, called Global Entry, would be open to U.S. citizens and permanent residents at least 14 years old. They would have to pay a $100 fee and undergo a background check. If accepted into the program, they can go through expedited screening when they fly into the United States. Ultimately, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, a homeland security agency, plans to expand the program to include foreign travelers whose countries have an acceptable prescreening process. For instance, people from the Netherlands who are part of that country’s Privium program have been accepted into the pilot program.
The program will begin at the seven airports testing the pilot program and expand to most major international airports. The seven are New York’s Kennedy, Houston’s George Bush, Washington’s Dulles, Atlanta’s Hartsfield-Jackson, Chicago’s O’Hare, Los Angeles International and Miami International.
The program allows registered participants to use a self-service kiosk to report their arrival, scan their passport or permanent residency card, submit their fingerprints for biometric verification and make a declaration at the touch-screen kiosk. The kiosk then takes a digital photograph of the traveler as part of the transaction record, issues a receipt and directs the traveler to baggage claim and the exit. Global Entry participants may still be selected randomly by customs officers for additional screening at any time in the process.
The Homeland Security Department published the proposed rule in Thursday’s Federal Register. The public has until Jan. 19 to comment on the proposal.
On the Net:
Federal Register: tinyurl.com/ykapdbs
U.S. Customs and Border Protection: tinyurl.com/cwolxh
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November 19, 2009: 8:24 pm
For decades this country has been a very large sponge, for anybody who can easily slip by the under funded border fence? Our compassion for the impoverished has turned into a travesty and now we are forced by the IRS to pay government entitlements to those who came here illegally. WE think it’s bad now, but if Sen.Harry Reid, Nancy Pelosi Chuck Schumer, Sen. Gutierrez and all the rest of Democratic Liberals get to pass another AMNESTY. The volume of indigent humanity waiting in every tin shack across the Southern border, the visa overstays from Europe and any other destitute society will rush for America, once the–BLANKET AMNESTY–bell tolls. We think we have a problem now, with hundreds of thousands of homeless? The government will have to build acres of tent cities to hold the newcomers. If the border cannot restrain those who come here now, the US border Patrol or even the National Guard will not stop the onslaught. Not only will the materialize on our soil, from every corner of Central and South America, but will start arriving from Canada as well. With billions of dollars being spent on the families of Anchor Babies, shouldn’t all of us be–COMMITTED AND PLACED IN THERAPY–to think the illegal immigration will just stop? Why hasn’t the Birthright citizenship law reached the Supreme court yet? Why did California’s Proposition 187 suddenly vanish? That’s what the last three White House Administrations led us believe, when all the time they were supporting–CORPORATE WELFARE. The majority of policy makers up their in Washington, are out to fill their coffers with campaign contributions and other undisclosed remuneration. It’s about keeping their careers and getting their copious pensions, when they retire. Neither party can be forgiven for the indifference shown to every American worker. The two parties have been instrumental in the free trade facade, that has cost jobs, the NAFTA controversy, the subliminal merger between Canada, USA and Mexico. We are awash with debt like nothing before? And President Obama wants to–FORCE–on this bleeding nation yet another monstrous AMNESTY? It’s about the special interest lobbyists that corrupts the whole environment in the Capitol. Illegal immigration is by far the largest expenditures to the this nation? The costs will stagger the prudent mind, because the dollar figure is off the scale. This is not just in federal dollars, but state, county and city dollars? If they cannot be honest and telling us the illegal population in this sovereign nation, they certainly will not inform the crippling financial price to support them. GOOGLE–NUMBERSUSA for enforcement grading of your politicians in federal or state government? Read about corruption and sanctuary city policies at JUDICIAL WATCH. CAPWEB, ALIPAC, CAPSWEB, AMERICAN PATROL & THE DARK SIDE OF ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION. Hunt down you politician either over the phone at 202-224-3121, or go their in person. Tell them that they are–OUT–if they vote for any kind of AMNESTY. Tell them E-Verify must be made permanent, to start the “ATTRITION” enforcement procedure for every illegal worker in America? What can you do for AMERICA? We cannot afford overpopulation growth, nor corrupt politicians pandering to illegal immigrant open border fanatics? |
Brittancus