As reported in USA Today, the United States government is just waiting for the Dominican Republic “to address some minor infrastructure issues and clear-up some legal authority matters in order to allow the issuing of pre-clearance protocols for the facilities at the Punta Cana International Airport”. Punta Cana International Airport has an agreement with the US government for pre-clearance.
Todd Owen, executive assistant to the commissioner of field operations for Customs and Border Protection made the remarks when speaking to the House Homeland Security SubCommittee on Transportation Security. The US Congress had questioned the criteria used by the US government for authorizing pre-clearance. Owen told the legislators that preclearance is “the gold standard in our counter-terrorism efforts overseas at last points of departure.”
Preclearance allows international travelers to clear United States customs and immigration checks before boarding planes abroad. Preclearance travelers can avoid long lines after getting off a long flight – while also allowing US Customs and Border Protection to screen travelers before they even board the plane to US territory.
USA Today explains that at present preclearance systems already in place screen about 18 million travelers arriving from 15 airports, mostly in Canada, the Caribbean, Ireland and Abu Dhabi. The program began in the 1950s as a convenience for travel from Canada. But with the expansion to Abu Dhabi three years ago, US officials invited more countries to participate if they were willing to pay for facilities and staffing needed. The cost to the host country only makes sense with lots of passengers, Owen added. “Very small airports would probably not embrace preclearance,” he explained.
Punta Cana International Airport handles the most diversified and numerous traffic in the Caribbean. As reported in USA Today, more than 11,000 flights from Punta Cana International Airport carried nearly 1.6 million travelers to the United States in 2016.
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