U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) processed more than 33.2 million entries and 28.5 million imported cargo containers in fiscal year 2017, totaling more than $2.39 trillion in total imports, according to the Trade and Travel report for fiscal year 2017 that was released on Tuesday.
CBP officers also processed more than 397.2 million travelers at ports of entry, which follows a five-year trend in which international travel has grown by 9.7 percent and overall airport travel has grown by 21.6 percent.
“CBP officers are charged with accomplishing two very important missions: securing the United States borders and facilitating legitimate trade and travel,” Acting CBP Commissioner Kevin McAleenan said. “CBP saw record numbers for air international arrivals and increases in cargo processed and trade enforcement in FY2017. The continued growth in trade and travel has challenged CBP to work not only harder, but smarter: incorporating new technologies and new innovations into our daily operations. These transformation efforts have resulted in more efficient processing in the air, pedestrian, vehicle and cargo environments.”
Global Entry, Automated Passport Control (APC) and Mobile Passport Control (MPC) systems have been deployed at international airports to expedite the screening process and to make it more convenient for travelers. Overall, the volume of airport travelers processed with automated systems grew from 3.3 percent in fiscal year 2013 to more than 50 percent in 2017.
“By incorporating these technologies, overall wait times at the top 17 airports indicate that there is higher traffic volume, faster processing and shorter waits for arriving travelers,” CBP stated.
The report also outlines CBP plans to continue deploying integrated biometric entry/exit processing, noting that the technology could “possibly transform how travelers interact with airports, airlines, and CBP” by creating a seamless travel process that’s more secure.
And with trade enforcement identified as a top priority, CBP launched its e-Allegation web portal. It allows the trade community to submit allegations of forced labor, antidumping and countervailing duties (AC/CVD) evasion, and other violations online. Additionally, CBP partnered with Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to increase intellectual property rights seizures by 8 percent in fiscal year 2017.
“In addition, CBP and ICE seized 21 shipments with a domestic value of more than $48.7 million for AD/CVD violations,” CBP stated. “CBP also detained 26 shipments valued at $1.6 million on the four Withhold Release Orders issued in fiscal year 2016.”
The CBP Trade Office also established an E-Commerce and Small Business Branch to help small and micro businesses navigate the dynamic trade environment.