DHS Agencies Announce Dates for TWIC Program Enrollment at 10 More Ports

Press Release

Nov. 19, 2007

TSA Public Affairs: (571) 227-2829
U.S. Coast Guard Public Affairs: (202) 372-4620

WASHINGTON – The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) today announced enrollment in the Transportation Worker Identification Credential (TWIC) program will begin at 10 more ports in the coming weeks. This program ensures that any individual who has unescorted access to secure areas of port facilities and vessels has received a thorough background check and is not a known security threat. TWIC enrollment began Oct. 16 at the Port of Wilmington, Del., and has expanded to 11 other ports nationwide. Ultimately, the program will vet more than 1 million workers through the rest of 2007 and 2008.

"We are one month out from the start of TWIC enrollment and this important security program is off to a strong start," said the Transportation Security Administration's (TSA) Maurine Fanguy, program director for TWIC. "To date we have enrolled more than 4,500 workers and issued more than 1,000 credentials."

Today, the TSA released specific dates for the following ports:

Nov. 21, 2007	Nov. 29, 2007	Dec. 5, 2007
• Baltimore/Dundalk, Md.	• Cleveland	• Brownsville, Texas
• Lake Charles, La.	• Detroit
• Minneapolis	• Port Fourchon, La.
• Saint Paul, Minn.

Nov. 28, 2007	Nov. 30, 2007
• Charleston, S.C.	• Boston

Workers at these 10 ports, as well as the other 12 ports where enrollment has begun, are able to pre-enroll for TWIC on the TSA Web site (www.tsa.gov/twic). Pre-enrollment speeds up the process by allowing workers to provide biographic information and schedule a time to complete the application process in person. This reduces waiting and in-person enrollment times for each individual.

More information on the TWIC program is available at www.tsa.gov/twic and more information on port security is available at the U.S. Coast Guard's Homeport site at http://homeport.uscg.mil by clicking on the Maritime Security link.