TRUSTED TRAVELER STATUS AFTER A BORDER INCIDENT
Global Entry is a discretionary program for preapproved, low-risk travelers. A CBP incident involving an immigration, customs, agriculture, criminal or other compliance issue can cause CBP to reevaluate whether a member continues to satisfy Trusted Traveler Program standards.
CBP describes Global Entry as expedited clearance for preapproved, low-risk travelers. Continued participation therefore depends on remaining eligible under CBP’s Trusted Traveler standards.
Membership does not create a right to expedited inspection. CBP can reevaluate a participant when new information causes the agency to question the person’s low-risk status.
Current CBP eligibility guidance states that a person may not be eligible for Global Entry after being found in violation of customs, immigration or agriculture regulations or laws in any country.
The same standards can therefore become relevant after a CBP border incident involving immigration status, undeclared merchandise, prohibited agricultural items or another violation.
The underlying immigration action and the Trusted Traveler decision are related but distinct. A traveler should determine what CBP actually recorded during the border encounter and what reason appears in the TTP revocation or denial notice.
CBP-released Trusted Traveler records include revocation notices stating that members no longer met program eligibility requirements because of recent CBP violations.
The exact consequence in a current case depends on the incident and the member’s complete eligibility record.
Trusted Traveler eligibility is broader than the question of whether a person is legally admissible to the United States. CBP can deny or revoke membership when it cannot satisfy itself that the traveler continues to qualify as low risk.
CBP currently provides a Reconsideration Request process for eligible Trusted Traveler applicants or members who believe a denial or revocation was based on inaccurate or incomplete information.
See Trusted Traveler Reconsideration After Denial or Revocation.
A secondary inspection by itself does not necessarily determine the result, but information discovered during the inspection can cause CBP to reevaluate Trusted Traveler eligibility.
Not necessarily. Trusted Traveler eligibility and legal admissibility are separate determinations, although an inadmissibility issue can also make a person ineligible for Global Entry.
CBP provides reconsideration procedures in qualifying cases, particularly where the decision may be based on inaccurate or incomplete information.
These CBP materials provide the principal Trusted Traveler Program eligibility and reconsideration framework discussed on this page.
The strongest reconsideration strategy identifies exactly what CBP relied upon and determines whether the information is correct, incomplete or legally misunderstood.