Statement By Secretary Jeh C. Johnson Regarding End Of Enhanced Ebola Screening
In 2014, the world faced a public health emergency with the outbreak of Ebola across West Africa. In response, President Obama declared Ebola a national security priority and directed a government-wide aggressive response to limit the risk of the disease reaching the Homeland. Working closely with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the Department of Homeland Security quickly established an effective screening process by funneling 94 percent of passengers originating from Ebola-affected countries into five designated U.S. airports. U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) also implemented measures at all other U.S. ports of entry to conduct enhanced screening of the remaining six percent of travelers. During this time not a single traveler exhibiting Ebola symptoms is known to have entered the country undetected.