CBP Starts Screening at Foreign Airports
Posted May 14, 2004

The U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Commissioner announced in early May 2004 that CBP will begin a test program for screening at foreign airports those who plan to travel to the United States. The program is set to begin in May 2004 at Warsaw International Airport in Poland. The CBP will also perform general screening. The concept is that it is better to detect problems abroad and prevent the travel of potential terrorists before permitting them to board airplanes bound for the United States.

The CBP will assess the program after six months and, at this point, plans to expand it to other airports. This program was started by the Legacy INS, but was discontinued due to the transition to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security in March 2003. The Warsaw airport was selected, as it was the first to request participation in the program. Several other countries have apparently indicated willingness to cooperate with the United States government in this effort. We will report further developments of this program to MurthyDotCom and MurthyBulletin readers, so that they, their families, and friends will be better able to plan in advance and prepare for possible delays due to additional screening requirements at certain airports abroad.