Unisys Corp. executive Bryan Ichikawa has an insider’s knowledge of biometrics. He has also spent a lot of time standing in line at U.S. airports when returning from overseas.
From both perspectives, he sees promise — and challenges — for the Homeland Security Department’s new Global Entry program, which prescreens travelers returning to the United States and uses fingerprint biometrics to verify identity.
Global Entry has strong potential for growth, but industry executives and policy experts say there are unresolved issues regarding its integration with other trusted-traveler programs, privatization, privacy and information sharing.
On a personal level, however, the appeal of Global Entry is obvious.
“The passport control lines are long, and it would be great to get through the lines more quickly,” said Ichikawa, solutions architect and chief engineer of Unisys’ domestic registered traveler program at the Reno/Tahoe International Airport in Nevada. FLO Corp. recently bought the business unit, but Unisys continues to provide services under an agreement.
Global Entry debuted as a pilot program June 6 at George Bush Intercontinental Airport in Houston, John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York and Washington Dulles International Airport.
U.S. citizens and permanent residents can apply for the pilot program by submitting biographical information and fingerprints, undergoing a background investigation, and meeting with a Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officer.
Once enrolled, travelers are eligible for expedited processing at participating airports.
When returning to the United States, Global Entry travelers can use a kiosk at the airport to submit a passport or permanent resident card to be read electronically, present fingerprints for scanning and make customs declarations. Travelers pay $100 to participate in Global Entry for five years.
DHS officials have said they intend to expand Global Entry to the 20 airports in the Model Port program, but they have not released a schedule or final rule. They said they also hope to integrate some of its features with the Nexus and Sentri border-crossing identification card programs for Canadians and Mexicans.
AMPLE OPPORTUNITIES
In May, CBP signed an agreement with the
government of the Netherlands to develop a
process to integrate Global Entry with the Dutch Privium program for trusted travelers.
U.S. government officials have said talks are also under way with other countries. Industry experts view such international programs as a major opportunity that could be on par with the domestic Registered Traveler program. Projections suggest that as many as 10 million frequent travelers in the United States could voluntarily participate in such programs in the next several years, generating a global market of as much as $1 billion a year.
