The U.S. Department of Homeland Security has selected 11 new
airports for possible preclearance checkpoints, including the first airports in
South America to be considered for the program, Homeland Security Secretary Jeh
Johnson announced.
Now under consideration are airports in Bogota, Colombia;
Buenos Aires, Argentina; Edinburgh, Scotland; Reykjavik, Iceland; Mexico City;
Milan; Osaka, Japan; Rio de Janerio; Rome; Sao Paulo; and the Caribbean island
of St. Maarten, which altogether account for more than 10 million U.S.
travelers per year, according to the DHS. The next step will be for the U.S.
and the host country of each airport to negotiate for a preclearance agreement,
after which the airport must establish the facilities.
Preclearance facilities allow travelers to clear U.S.
Customs and Border Protection inspection before boarding a flight to the United
States rather than upon arrival, speeding up the arrival process and allowing
DHS to identify people who could be threats before they arrive on U.S. soil.
Currently, there are 15 such locations, including several major Canadian
airports, Abu Dhabi International Airport, Dublin and Shannon airports in
Ireland, Aruba, Bermuda and the Bahamas.
Establishing
a preclearance checkpoint is a lengthy process. DHS last year announced
10 new airports under consideration, including London Heathrow, Tokyo's
Narita International Airport and several major airports in continental Europe. Of
that group, only Sweden has reached an agreement, signed on Friday. The United
States will set up preclearance operations in Stockholm, and that will take until
at least 2019, according to the DHS. In the coming months, Customs and Border
Protection could announce agreements with others in the group announced last
year.