ATLANTA — U.S. Customs and Border Protection officials are preparing for the busy holiday travel season by deploying a team of fruit-sniffing K-9s and using the latest technology at the world's busiest airport.
CBP officials are using two mobile applications to streamline the traveler entry process into the U.S. The agency has also enlisted some assistance from a "Beagle Brigade" at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport.
Here's what international travelers should know:
Mobile Passport Control app
CBP's Mobile Passport Control app, which has only been live for about two months, allows eligible travelers to submit their travel documents, photos, and customs declaration information through a free, secure app on their smartphone or other mobile device.
Travelers now no longer have to complete a paper form to submit their travel documents. Assistant Port Director of Port of Atlanta, Carlo Cortina, said it will help families traveling with children.
"One of the key features for mobile passport control is your application will be submitted for the entire family. So you can file as the head of household and you can submit for your spouse - all three - child, and yourself," he explained. "You'll get approved for all five of you in one application rather than having to present yourself to the officer and present all five documents."
Global Entry
In coordination with the MPC app, officials said the latest update to Global Entry will reduce wait times and congestion. The new app, which became available on Sept. 19, allows travelers enrolled in Global Entry to complete their arrival processing instead of waiting in line to use a portal.
With the new app, travelers simply take a photo as a “selfie,” which will be compared to a photo gallery to verify their identity. Once the traveler arrives at the primary inspection area, they can bypass the Global Entry portals and go directly to the CBP officers to process their entry into the United States.
“Passengers will arrive and they will look at the camera. It’ll capture their picture and it’ll confirm them to the document and picture that we have prior to their arrival," said Cortina.
New noses sniffing out cargo
CBP officials are also reminding travelers that agriculture specialists alongside a team of beagles known as the "Beagle Brigade" will be inspecting cargo, packaging materials, and travelers for invasive species, contaminants, and other prohibited agricultural and biological materials that could harm the country's agricultural and natural resources.
There are 160 Agriculture Detector Dog Teams across the U.S. as apart of the brigade and they are trained in finding prohibited fruit, vegetables, plants, and meat products from high-risk countries that could pose a danger to the country.
In 2023, so far, the over 2,700 CBP Agriculture Specialists have discovered 84,269 pests at U.S. ports of entry and 1,199,816 materials for quarantine: plant, meat, animal byproduct, and soil.