The U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) released its travel and trade-related statistics for fiscal year 2015 on Monday.
“I want to thank the men and women of CBP for their unrelenting commitment to our national security mission,” CBP Commissioner R. Gil Kerlikowske said. “CBP continues to improve our ability to facilitate the ever growing amount of travelers and trade entering and leaving the United States each day, including a more than 20 percent increase in international air arrivals and a more than 7 percent increase in import value processed over the last five years.”
CBP accomplished a variety of goals in FY 2015, including the addition of tools to assist existing technology and automation at ports of entry. CBP installed automated passport control kiosks in 14 new locations to streamline the traveler inspection process, reduce wait times and enhance overall security. Additionally, the agency completed a pilot program in partnership with the Airports Council International-North America for mobile passport control, the first authorized smartphone application to speed up the entry process for U.S. citizens and Canadian visitors.
Other accomplishments include reaching record enrollments in the Trusted Traveler Program, which provides expedited travel for pre-approved, low risk travelers through dedicated lanes and kiosks. CBP also provided support for modernizing trade systems, domestic industry protection and unsafe imports protection.