New York, NY - January 15, 2014 - Today, U.S. Senator Charles E. Schumer announced that he has received a commitment that John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) will be assigned additional customs agents as the result of increased appropriations for Customs and Border Protection (CBP) as part of the Fiscal Year 2014 Appropriations bill. This bill has boosted CBP’s funding by $165.7 million in order for the agency to hire 2,000 new agents nationwide. Specifically, the bill increases CBP’s overall budget to $10.6 billion, which is over $220 million more than FY2013. Schumer explained that $165.7 million of the new funding was explicitly prescribed “for the purpose of hiring, training, and equipping new U.S. customs and border protection offices.” During a confirmation hearing today, Schumer secured a commitment from Gil Kerlikowske, who is currently undergoing the confirmation process to be Commissioner of CBP, that he would commit to bringing an adequate portion of these new agents and resources to JFK once he has been confirmed.
In September 2013, Schumer made an appeal to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to implement new measures that would help alleviate incredibly long lines for travelers using customs at JFK and he continued his push at a confirmation hearing today for Kerlikowske. Schumer’s appeal comes after a report revealed that customs lines at JFK Airport were among the longest wait times in the country. According to the report, the average delay during peak hours could be two hours or more.
On July 1, 2013, at 6 am, the wait was 140 minutes.
On August 3, 2013, at 4 pm, the wait was 120 minutes.
On August 24, 2013, at 4 pm, the wait was 3 hours.
Schumer has long advocated measures to decrease these wait times, including a personal call in September to then-Acting DHS Secretary Rand Beers, during which Schumer asked Beers to approve and install new automated Passport kiosks, as well as assign additional Custom and Border Patrol agents at JFK. Schumer also urged his colleagues to boost funding for the Customs and Border Protection in the Fiscal Year 2014 Appropriations bill, above the current 2013 levels and called current DHS Secretary Jeh Johnson to press his case.
Today, Schumer announced that the recently released appropriations agreement called for $165.7 million to hire 2,000 new agents nationwide, and that he has received a commitment from Gil Kerlikowske that, when confirmed as Commissioner of CBP, he will assign an adequate portion of these new agents to JFK. These additional agents will enable the airport to decrease wait times and continue to be a major economic driver.