CBP Pilot Project Expands Minnesota Arrowhead
#LSN_PublicSafety #LSN_CookCounty
GUNFLINT TRAIL, Minnesota – June 2, 2019 (LSN) U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Office of Field Operations has added to the list of pilot locations now using the new CBP ROAM ™ application for small boat reporting.
This pilot expansion includes the Arrowhead region of Minnesota
This pilot addresses a pressing issue for border waters that depend heavily on tourism and recreation. Recreationalists from both Ontario and Minnesota travel to these border waters with their families to enjoy fishing and other outdoor activities. Oftentimes these groups travel into or out of the province of Ontario, Canada, which prompts border security checks by U.S. Customs and Border Protection upon return.
However, to help change all of that, CBP soft-launched the pilot program Aug. 21, 2017, at select resorts within the Northwest Angle, Minnesota, and has since expanded across Minnesota.
The CBP ROAM app allows small boaters, on border waters, the flexibility of reporting their arrival into the U.S. from any location via a device that is capable of 4G/LTE or Wi-Fi. The CBP ROAM app is available in the Apple and Android stores under CBP ROAM. The CBP ROAM app enables boaters to efficiently make entry into the U.S. via a video conference with CBP officers.
Small boaters can construct a profile within the application and submit their information for a CBP video conference when crossing the U.S. border via water. Travelers can easily save their information within the app or recreate it for future crossings.
Additionally, CBP iPads with the CBP ROAM app loaded onto them are available at Poplar Haus, Voyagers Canoe Outfitters, and the Gunflint Lodge.
“From an officer standpoint this is much-needed technology,” said Area Port Director Jason Schmelz. “From the clarity of the video, to the ease of use for the traveler, CBP ROAM has strengthened border security in these remote areas while facilitating legitimate travel and trade.”
-CBP-