Easing The Customs Proposition In The SouthEast USA

Transitioning into and out of US Airspace can often be something of a chore but an aggressive and expert effort by the St. Augustine Airport has resulted in a new way to ease the issues in entering and leaving the USA via a recently dedicated fee-based Port Of Entry located near the base of the Control Tower at one of the best airports in the SouthEast USA... if not the country.

ANN and Aero-TV were pleased to be invited to join in the dedication of the new facility a few days ago and took the time to learn about what it took for St. Augustine to land such a "plus" and further help to propel the development of this incredibly progressive GA airport.

US Customs and Border Protection, or CBP, is reportedly one of the Department of Homeland Security’s largest and most complex components, with a priority mission of keeping terrorists and their weapons out of the US. It also has a responsibility for securing and facilitating trade and travel while enforcing hundreds of US regulations, including immigration and drug laws. CBP guards nearly 7,000 miles of land border the United States shares with Canada and Mexico as well as 2000 miles of coastal waters surrounding the Florida peninsula and off the coast of Southern California. The agency also protects 95,000 miles of maritime border in partnership with the United States Coast Guard. To secure this vast area, more than 17,000 CBP Border Patrol agents, 1,000 CBP Air and Marine agents, and almost 22,000 CBP officers and agriculture specialists, together with the nation’s largest law enforcement canine program, stand guard along America’s front line.

CBP officers monitor America’s borders via official 'Ports of Entry,' while CBP’s Border Patrol agents prevent illegal entry into the United States of people and contraband between the ports of entry. Having a Port of entry is a major boost for any airport and a serious facilitator to trade and travel. Some of these PoEs are funded through tax dollars, while others, built for convenience and in keeping with a new move toward a User fee based initiative are fee-based. A CBP-defined 'User Fee Airport' is a location designated under 19 USC sec 58b where a fee is charged for the use of CBP services. Such is the case with the new facility at St. Augustine... though operators in the region expect that the fee structure will be offset dramatically by the more economical convenience and local nature of being able to utilize the facilities at KSGJ.

CBP describes the Port of St. Augustine "as an airport environment with both passenger and cargo processing responsibilities. Port personnel are the face at the border for most cargo and visitors entering the United States. Here CBP enforces the import and export laws and regulations of the U.S. federal government and conducts admissibility activities. The Port also performs agriculture inspections to protect the USA from potential carriers of animal and plant pests or diseases that could cause serious damage to America's crops, livestock, pets, and the environment. This port is designated as a Class A Port of entry for all aliens."

Aero-TV Learns About CBP's Newest Port of Entry At The St. Augustine (FL) Airport!

FMI: www.cbp.gov, http://www.cbp.gov/xp/cgov/toolbox/contacts/ports/fl/1889.xml, www.aero-tv.net, www.youtube.com/aerotvnetwork, http://twitter.com/AeroNews