U.S. Customs and Border Protection is introducing Simplified Arrival at multiple pedestrian border crossings within the El Paso Field Office area of operations.

Simplified Arrival is an enhanced international arrival process that uses biometric facial comparison technology to automate the manual document checks that are already required for admission into the U.S. This process provides travelers with a secure, touchless travel experience while fulfilling a Congressional mandate to biometrically record the entry and exit of non-U.S. citizens.

Simplified Arrival is now operational at the Presidio port of entry.

CBP officers working at the Presidio port processed approximately 180,000 pedestrians and 548,000 arriving vehicles in fiscal year 2020. During fiscal year 2019 and before pandemic travel restrictions, officers at Presidio processed approximately 298,000 pedestrians and 700,000 arriving vehicles

Simplified Arrival only uses the biometric facial comparison process at a time and place where travelers are already required by law to verify their identity by presenting a travel document. When a traveler arrives at the pedestrian lanes, he or she will pause for a photo at the primary inspection point. A CBP officer will review and query the travel document, which will retrieve the traveler’s passport or visa photo from government holdings. The new photo of the traveler will be compared to the photo previously collected.

The process only takes a few seconds, and is more than 98% accurate.

If a traveler cannot be matched to a photo on record using the process, the traveler will proceed through the traditional inspection process consistent with existing requirements for admission into the U.S.

U.S. travelers and those foreign nationals not required to provide biometrics and wish to opt out of the new biometric process may notify an officer as they approach the primary inspection point. These travelers will be required to present a valid travel document for inspection by a CBP officer, and will be processed consistent with existing requirements for admission into the U.S.

CBP is committed to its privacy obligations, and has taken steps to safeguard the privacy of all travelers. New photos of U.S. citizens will be deleted within 12 hours. Photos of most foreign nationals will be stored in a secure Department of Homeland Security system.