U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers at the Laredo Port of Entry implemented several new measures to prepare for increased travel during the week before Easter.
CBP introduced a designated lane, electronic tourist permits, expanded processing hours and a satellite, off-site tourist permit processing booth ahead of Holy Week.
“For CBP, Holy Week is a peak travel period and our deployment of multiple facilitation measures and travel tips continues to help tremendously to keep wait times down to manageable levels while retaining our ability to carry out our border security mission,” Alberto Flores, port director for the Laredo Port of Entry, said.
The Laredo Port of Entry encouraged travelers to apply for their tourist permits online. Travelers that do so will receive a provisional I-94. To finalize the I-94 process, travelers must present themselves at a port of entry within seven days of their application to be interviewed by a CBP officer, submit biometric fingerscans and have their photo taken.
The designated lane runs the full length of the Juarez-Lincoln international bridge. It is located on the three Westernmost lanes and fans out to three primary inspection booths.
“Our management team at the Laredo Port of Entry continues to innovate and adapt, implementing measures and programs to manage peak travel periods while facilitating lawful trade and travel,” David P. Higgerson, director of field operations at the Laredo Field Office, said. “That coupled with a careful and constant analysis of traffic volumes and deploying organic resources to meet the workload has proven effective in managing these peak traffic flows while carrying out the CBP mission.”