BROWNSVILLE, Texas – With the rapid approach of Holy Week, one of the busiest travel periods of the year, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers at the Port of Brownsville have implemented a variety of effective measures to facilitate a smooth, orderly traffic flow, including electronic tourist permits.
“Holy Week is a peak travel period and CBP has implementation of multiple facilitation measures and travel tips continues to aid in keeping wait times down to manageable levels while retaining our ability to carry out our border security mission,” said Port Director Tater Ortiz, Port of Brownsville. “We encourage travelers to present WHTI- (Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative) compliant documents during inspection, and use their RFID-enabled documents through our Ready Lanes."
vehicle at Brownsville Port of Entry.
CBP thanks the traveling public for their partnership and encourages continued use of SENTRI trusted traveler dedicated commuter lane and designated Ready lanes and WHTI-compliant documents through the remainder of the Semana Santa travel season.
“Our management team at the Brownsville Port of Entry continues to innovate and adapt, implementing measures and programs to manage peak travel periods while facilitating lawful trade and travel,” said Director, Field Operations David P. Higgerson, Laredo Field Office. “That coupled with a careful and constant analysis of traffic volumes and deploying organic resources to meet the workload has proven effective in managing these peak traffic flows while carrying out the CBP mission.”
The Port of Brownsville strongly encourages travelers to apply for their tourist permits online via http://i94.cbp.dhs.gov Travelers will now receive a provisional I-94 after submitting their application and payment online. To finalize the I-94 process, travelers must present themselves at a port of entry within seven days of their application to be interviewed by a CBP officer, submit biometric fingerscans and a photo is taken. Laredo Field Office ports of entry will extend front of the line privileges to travelers who submit their I-94 applications electronically and present their provisional I-94 permit receipt.
CBP also encourages travelers to obtain and utilize radio-frequency identification technology (RFID)-equipped travel documents such as U.S. passport cards and the newer versions (i.e. since 2011) of the border crossing card and resident alien card so that they can utilize Ready Lanes. Processing in Ready Lanes is 20 percent faster than normal lanes and provide a time savings of up to 20 seconds per vehicle. Those who have renewed their entry documents within the last 24 months already have radiofrequency identification enabled documents (RFID) and may not know it. CBP encourages travelers to obtain RFID entry documents to use Ready Lanes and enroll in trusted traveler programs.
Members of the traveling public can monitor Border Wait Times or also obtain the BWT app on their smartphone via Apple App Store and Google Play so that they can observe the wait times and make an informed decision on which bridge to use. These wait times are updated on an hourly basis.
CBP reminds the public that they may utilize the Los Indios International Bridge as an alternate route to avoid heavy traffic.
Also to avoid any potential delays or fines due to travelers bringing prohibited/restricted agricultural items, CBP encourages travelers to declare all agricultural items to a CBP officer upon arrival and before making their journey to consult the Know Before You Go guide.
Find more information about filing an I-94 electronically.