Traveling to the United States can be a nightmare for some foreign nationals with previous immigration issues. These individuals can be held at a port of entry (e.g. a border crossing) and questioned for hours before they are finally allowed to enter. The screening process is often discouraging and stressful, and it leaves many foreign nationals asking "is it even worth the hassle?"

In an attempt to improve the screening process, the Department of Homeland Security ("DHS") created the Traveler Redress Inquiry Program ("TRIP"). TRIP is a single point of contact for individuals who are trying to resolve issues that complicate the screening process. Once you enroll in TRIP, your inquiry will be sent to the appropriate office for review and adjudication.

SRW Border Lawyers recently received a call from a client who expressed strong reservations about attempting to cross the border due to her previous experiences. As background, client was improperly issued an order of expedited removal and barred from entering the United States several years ago. SRW Border Lawyers, however, was able to vacate the order and clarify the client's record to reflect that she was admissible to enter the U.S. As a result, Customs and Border Protection ("CBP") issued a clarifying letter as well indicating that the client was in fact admissible. Despite CBP’s clarification letter, client still experiences difficulties when attempting to enter the U.S. Thus, client enrolled in the TRIP program and is currently awaiting a response (we will update this blog entry to report client's next port of entry screening experience).

If you have been experiencing difficulties at a port of entry, please call our office to discuss how TRIP may be able to help you in resolving your border related issues.