How SENTRI Works to Improve Border Security

SENTRI stands for Secure Electronic Network for Travelers’ Rapid Inspection. It was designed by a team of federal law enforcement experts for use by low risk local residents who cross the border frequently and are therefore willing to subject themselves to investigation in order to receive pre-clearance.

Individuals who register for SENTRI must be residents of the greater San Diego/Tijuana metropolitan area, with family, jobs and economic interests in the region. They are fingerprinted and undergo criminal background checks more rigorous than any they routinely face at a port of entry.

When an approved international traveler approaches the border in one of the special SENTRI lanes, the system automatically identifies the vehicle and validates the identity of its occupants using the following: (1) data maintained in a SENTRI enrollment system computer (which includes digitalized photographs of the vehicle’s occupants); (2) data accessed by a magnetic stripe reader and the border crosser’s Port Pass Identification Number; (3) an inspector's visual comparison of the vehicle and its passengers with the data on a computer screen.

Simultaneously, automatic digital license plate readers and computers perform queries of the vehicle and its occupants against law enforcement databases that are continuously updated. A combination of electric gates, tire shredders, traffic control lights, fixed iron bollards, and pop-up pneumatic bollards ensure physical control of the border crossers and their vehicles.

Participants in the program wait no longer than three minutes to enter the United States, even at the busiest time of day. Critical information required in the inspection process is provided to the inspector in advance of the passenger's arrival, thus reducing the inspection time to an average of 10 seconds.

Under the leadership of then San Diego Congresswoman Lynn Schenk in 1994, the U.S Congress first approved the implementation of the SENTRI lane program for Otay Mesa. Operation began the following year. The success of this pilot program led to the decision to expand the service to other U.S.-Mexico land ports of entry, most notably in El Paso, Texas, and modified versions have been implemented at the border with Canada in Buffalo and Detroit. The SENTRI Program began operating at the San Ysidro port of entry in September of 2000.