Customs and Border Protection (CBP) will introduce Simplified Arrival (SA) at Aruba Airport (AUA) starting today, September 21, to further secure and streamline international travel.
SA is a primary processing application that utilizes facial comparison technology, and will replace the legacy primary processing application currently used at AUA. The transition to SA at AUA means an even more efficient inspection process. CBP is implementing facial comparison technology to address recommendations from the 9/11 Commission and address a Congressional mandate to biometrically record the entry and exit of non-U.S. citizens.
Given today鈥檚 health concerns, facial comparison technology can play a key role in helping the travel industry address COVID-19 health and safety risks by implementing seamless processes. Through this technology, CBP can reduce the need to capture fingerprints and handle documents. CBP鈥檚 facial comparison technology compares the new photo of the traveler to images that the traveler previously provided to the government, such as passport and visa photos. Eligible travelers who wish to opt out of the new facial biometric process may notify a CBP officer as they approach the primary inspection point. These travelers will be required to present a valid travel document for manual identity verification by a CBP officer and will be processed in accordance with existing requirements for entry into the United States.
CBP is committed to its privacy obligations and has taken steps to safeguard the privacy of all travelers. CBP has employed strong technical security safeguards and has limited the amount of personally identifiable information used in the facial biometric process. New photos of U.S. citizens will be deleted within 12 hours, and photos of foreign nationals will be stored in a secure DHS system. Facial comparison technology enhances CBP鈥檚 ability to facilitate lawful travel and secure the border.
