Senators Join Chorus of Concern Over CBP Facility in Abu Dhabi
A group of U.S. senators joined airline opposition to an Obama administration proposal to establish a CBP preclearance facility in Abu Dhabi. In a May 8 letter to Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano, 11 senators questioned whether CBP has the authority to enter into an agreement with the United Arab Emirates, especially at an airport which is not served by any U.S.-based air carrier. “By establishing foreign funded preclearance operations at an airport with so little traffic bound for the United States, we question whether the Department is choosing preclearance locations based on risk or based on a pay-to-play process,” the letter said.
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It asks Napolitano for an explanation of whether the decision was made “as a result of a risk based analysis" and "why a location that is not served by any carriers based in the United States, and with such a low level of international travelers bound for the United States, was selected." The letter also asks Napolitano to clarify the rationale behind allowing foreign entities to pay for core security functions, and which authority CBP believes it is using to enter into the agreement. The letter was signed by Sens. Dan Coats, R-Ind.; Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn.; Johnny Isakson, R-Ga; Saxby Chambliss, R-Ga.; Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio; Carl Levin, D-Mich.; Jerry Moran, R-Kans.; David Vitter, R-La.; Jeff Merkley, D-Ore.; Mark Udall, D-Colo.; and Heidi Heitkamp, D-N.D.
Airlines for America and the Airline Pilots Association have voiced similar complaints about the Abu Dhabi facility (see 13041613). Airlines for America launched a website for its campaign against the facility (here). For more on the facility from CBP, see 11042619.