Posted by Secretary Janet Napolitano

As we approach the end of the year, I’d like to highlight some of the significant steps we have taken in 2011 to guard against terrorism, secure the nation's borders, engage in smart enforcement of our immigration laws, safeguard and secure cyberspace, prepare for, respond to and recover from disasters, and mature and strengthen the homeland security enterprise.

On Monday, I visited DHS components in the National Capital Region with CNN’s Erin Burnett to highlight our operations, and meet with our employees on the frontlines.  We had the opportunity to see firsthand the work that DHS employees are doing every day to keep our nation safe and secure.

Secretary Napolitano speaks with CNN's Erin Burnett at Washington Dulles International Airport

At Washington Dulles International Airport, we saw how the Transportation Security Administration’s new risk-based security measures strengthen security while expediting the checkpoint process for travelers, and also saw the kinds of prohibited items our officers find every day, from firearms to concealed weapons.

Secretary Napolitano is shown a prohibited item at a TSA checkpoint

Following this, we moved to the Customs and Border Protection (CBP) checkpoint at Dulles, where CBP officers demonstrated the Global Entry program, designed to expedite customs processing for low-risk travelers through rigorous background checks, and also saw contraband and fraudulent documents seized at the airport.

Secretary Napolitano meets with members of Virginia Task Force 1 (VA-TF1), who deploy to support the response needs of state and local officials at disaster sites around the country

Later, at a FEMA facility in Virginia, we met with members of FEMA’s Incident Management Assistance Team and Fairfax Urban Search and Rescue Team, who have deployed to support the needs of state and local officials in response to disasters throughout the country, including Hurricane Irene and the severe storms that struck Alabama this past spring.  And at Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Cyber Crimes Center, we saw how our agents are working to identify cyber crime activity, and protect victims. 

Secretary Napolitano visits the Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Cyber Crimes Center

We concluded the tour at the Secret Service’s James J. Rowley Training Center, where our agents participated in a training exercise involving a simulated live attack on a motorcade, and briefed us on the Secret Service’s efforts to detect counterfeit currency and remove it from circulation.

These operations represent some of the many ways the men and women of DHS are working every day to protect our country and the American people.  To read more about the progress made in 2011, visit our website.  As we move into the new year, I want to thank all DHS employees, and our many partners across the country and around the world, for their tireless efforts every day to strengthen the safety, security, and resilience of our nation.

Overall, DHS for a Day in Detroit provided our private sector partners with a glimpse of the work that DHS does every day to keep our nation’s borders and economy secure. However, security is a shared responsibility. Through sustained partnerships with the private sector we can keep our hometowns and our homeland safe.

You may have heard some talk in the news over the last few days about a new DHS program called Global Entry. We wanted to give you some details, in case it might apply to you. Global Entry is designed to speed trusted travelers through the customs and immigration inspection process when re-entering the United States. And among travelers already enrolled in the program, 75 percent are processed in five minutes or less.

The way it works: U.S. citizens or lawful permanent residents apply for the program, pay a $100 fee, and are interviewed by a U.S. Customs and Border Protection officer. Following a successful background investigation, they are accepted into the program. Once accepted into the program, membership is good for five years and can be used at any participating airport in the country.

There are currently twenty international airports in the program. These include airports in or near the following major cities:

• Atlanta
• Boston
• Chicago
• Dallas
• Detroit
• Fort Lauderdale
• Honolulu
• Houston
• Las Vegas
• Los Angeles
• Miami
• New York
• Newark
• Orlando
• Philadelphia
• Sanford
• San Francisco
• San Juan, Puerto Rico
• Seattle
• Washington, D.C. (Dulles)

Here is the process for using the Global Entry system:

Walk up to the computer station.

Place passport or lawful permanent resident card into the machine reader.
Press fingers down on the pad Answer customs declaration inspections questions.
Take receipt Show it to CBP officers.
Travelers should be aware that CBP officers retain the right to question all entrants to the country, even Global Entry participants.

Further information:

The application form is located at http://www.cbp.gov/xp/cgov/travel/trusted_traveler/global_entry/.

Individuals with questions about the program may visit CBP’s Customer Service page at https://help.cbp.gov/cgi-bin/customs.cfg/php/enduser/home.php?p_sid=VsMWsEbj.

Check out the video below from Smart Planet on the new system: