U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has canceled some
scheduled Global Entry enrollment appointments due to the reassignment of staff
to the U.S.-Mexico border.
Global Entry allows pre-approved travelers to receive
expedited clearance upon arrival into the U.S.
A CBP spokesperson said Tuesday that it is temporarily
reducing staff at Global Entry enrollment centers nationwide in response to the
"ongoing humanitarian and security crisis on our Southwest border."
CBP said Global Entry workers would "support front-line traveler processing
at ports of entry during the busy summer months."
The U.S. Travel Association criticized the decision, with
executive vice president for public affairs and policy Tori Barnes calling the
Global Entry program "a critical tool for both travel facilitation and
travel security."
"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," Barnes stated. "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 recommends that impacted Global Entry applicants reschedule
for a later date "with the expectation that availability for appointments
will be limited through Sept. 30, 2019."
CBP also said that conditionally approved Global Entry
applicants can complete their interview without an advance appointment at any
of the 50 airports with a Global Entry Enrollment on Arrival program.