One-Stop Inspection System Speeds the Entry of International Travelers

摘要

To find ways to speed the entry of international travelers into the United States, the Customs Service, in a joint effort with the Department of Agriculture's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service and the Immigration and Naturalization Service, has tested a one-stop inspection system. The one-stop system reduces travelers' time spent waiting in line for and clearing the primary inspection process and results in more efficient use of customs and Immigration inspectors. However, its effect on the enforcement of entry laws and regulations is unclear. Because of the clearly demonstrated gains of the one-stop system regarding timeliness and efficiency and the uncertain and perhaps nonexistent drawbacks from a law enforcement standpoint, GAO believes that the one-stop inspection system is an improvement over the procedures used in the past.