Last week, I was in Mexico City where I joined U.S. Ambassador Anthony Wayne and U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Acting Commissioner Thomas Winkowski for the launch of Mexico’s new trusted traveler program—Programa Viajero Confiable. Mexico’s Tourism Under Secretary Jose Salvador Sanchez Estrada, Tax Commissioner Aristóteles Núñez Sánchez and National Immigration Institute Commissioner Ardelio Vargas presided over the event.
This launch is an important example of the continuing efforts of the U.S-Mexico 21st Century Border Management Initiative and the High Level Economic Dialogue to deepen engagement to facilitate legitimate trade and travel between our two countries.
Viajero Confiable is a trusted traveler program similar to CBP’s Global Entry. These programs improve the ability for each of our countries to quickly process pre-approved, low-risk travelers upon arrival at major airports. Since 2010, more than 40,000 Mexican citizens have taken the opportunity to enroll in CBP’s Global Entry, and now U.S. citizens will be able to enroll in Viajero Confiable, further enhancing travel and trade between our two countries, while maintaining the highest standards of security. In fact, at the conclusion of the ceremony, I was proud to become to the first American enrolled in Viajero Confiable.
The launching of Viajero Confiable provides the opportunity for U.S. citizens to expedite their international travel into Mexico and marks an important example of ongoing and unprecedented cooperation between our two countries in security and economic competitiveness matters.
Working in tandem, Global Entry and Viajero Confiable will break down barriers to cross-border travel, create new opportunities to increase tourism between our countries, and build a business-friendly environment that strengthens our nations’ economic competitiveness.
From left: CBP Acting Commissioner Winkowski, Assistant Secretary Bersin, Mexican Tourism Under Secretary Estrada, and U.S. Ambassador Wayne
For more information on the 21st Century Border Management Initiative, visit www.dhs.gov/21centuryborder.