Recent violations along the U.S.-Mexico border have called into question the safety of the U.S. Customs and Border Protection's (CBP) frequent traveler system.  SENTRI, short for Secure Electronic Network for Travelers Rapid Inspection, offers expedited passage through the world's most frequently crossed border, with 250 million legal crossings annually.
 
Last week, a 41 year-old Las Vegas woman registered in the SENTRI program was arrested by U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Officers at the Otay Mesa, CA border for attempting to smuggle an undocumented migrant worker into the country.  The worker was a 36-year old Mexican citizen found hidden under a blanket in the trunk of her car.

The driver, a Mexican citizen with lawful permanent residence in the United States, entered the United States through a designated SENTRI lane. She was arrested and charged with alien smuggling. The CBP revoked her SENTRI privileges and seized her car.  The migrant worker was taken into CBP custody for processing and will be used as a material witness in the case against his driver.

That same day, $800,000 worth of cocaine was uncovered in another SENTRI user's vehicle in Nogales, AZ. In this bust, the driver was an American citizen, but the 52 pounds of cocaine discovered in his vehicle were most certainly foreign.

Late last year, a 22-year-old San Diego man was nabbed with $120,000 worth of marijuana and a token amount of cocaine when trying to go through the port at San Ysidro, CA. He too was a SENTRI user.
 
While these busts show that the CBP vigilantly search SENTRI users, the subtext is clear: smugglers and other "evil-doers" are using the system in hopes of evading "typical" searches.

CBP introduced SENTRI in 1995, and its underlying concept has stayed the same since its debut. Individuals undergo a background check "against criminal, law enforcement, customs, immigration, and terrorist indices," a personal interview, and fingerprint recording in order to obtain clearance. Additionally, the CBP will determine whether the candidate is financially solvent, making sure that he/she isn't in desperate need for the kind of money promised by certain smuggling efforts. Generally, a candidate will fail to meet the CBP's requirements if he/she has a history of criminal or border-related offenses, but otherwise will be granted participation in the SENTRI program.

SENTRI users are given a personal card and vehicle decal, both equipped with a RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) chip that allows the CBP to identify driver and vehicle as they approach the border.  The program grants these users specialized lanes to gain passage through the border.  The personal and vehicle searches are the same as in the standard lanes, but the checking of personal identification and proof-of-citizenship is not required of them.
According to the CBP, the inspection time is reduced to an average of 10 seconds from the 30-40 second inspection of non-SENTRI users, though the real time-saver is in the use of the unclogged SENTRI lanes themselves. The system operates under a similar principle as the Verified Identity Pass system used at some airports, and is accepted by border stations at eight locations in California, Texas, and Arizona. Additionally, the SENTRI card itself is a passport-equivalent at any other national point of entry.

Though the CBP claims that the SENTRI system makes border crossing faster but not more lenient, any process that promises speed inevitably must compromise on thoroughness to some degree. In an interview with OhMyGov!, CBP International Travel Press Officer Kelly Klundt defended the system's integrity, claiming that "SENTRI is not a free pass; it rewards low-risk travelers with a dedicated lane, but that doesn't mean that we're going to lay down and let them through. It simply means that we're focusing our resources on those passengers whose identities we're unaware of."

The risk then is in the attitude of the potential criminals themselves; if they believe the SENTRI lanes are more vulnerable, they will try to exploit this perceived vulnerability. And the more people that try to breach the border in this way, the greater number that will ultimately get through. According to Klundt, "any time you have an effort to secure a border, you will have a criminal element looking for the weak spot." And now that this weak spot has been identified, it is only natural to expect criminals to focus their efforts where they would expect the greatest chance of success.

Pragmatism dictates we ask the following of the SENTRI program: Does the reward of expediency outweigh the risk of border violations? Certainly the fast-lane system is a great convenience to many as the wait at standard border lanes can often crest the one-hour mark. Getting around this delay is valuable to the casual traveler and to an economy that relies on freight imports and exports between the two countries. However, in advertising an easier way across the borders, the CBP invites the attention of the criminal, smuggler, or terrorist. 

It is therefore imperative that the CBP emphasize from the senior leaders down to the border agent that SENTRI users are to be searched just as thoroughly as anyone else, lest they get an easy road into the country.  We also recommend reviewing the profiles of SENTRI members at least every two years, to ensure new offenses have not been overlooked in granting easier access into the country.