ARTICLE AD BOX
"Vet and screen to the maximum degree possible all aliens who intend to be admitted” to the US, ordered President Trump on his first day back at the White House.
The reality created by that executive order on the day Mr Trump resumed at the White House is average queues of over two hours at times for international arrivals at New York’s JFK airport.
The Independent has analysed data from US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) that shows some passengers are waiting in line for over three hours.
At times during the week between 15 and 21 May, overseas passengers arriving at JFK Terminal 1 between 2 and 3pm waited an average of two hours and five minutes to be seen by an officer. The maximum wait was three hours 17 minutes.
That corresponds with the mid-afternoon surge of arrivals from Europe – including Air France, Lufthansa and TAP Portugal.
Almost as bad was Terminal 5 between 8 and 9pm, with an average wait time of two hours and four minutes to see a CBP officer. Some travellers stood in line for two hours and 52 minutes.
Terminal 5 is the home of JetBlue, which has just started flights from Edinburgh to New York JFK in addition to links from London Heathrow.
Virgin Atlantic serves Terminal 4, where the maximum waiting time averages over two hours between 9am and 1pm. During the corresponding week in 2024 (16-22 May), the average for the same spell was one hour and 40 minutes – though with an isolated peak wait of three hours 23 minutes.
British Airways uses Terminal 7, without excessive queues at present.
Wait times for US citizens are typically much shorter – often around half as long as for “aliens”.
Compared with other key airports over the past week, New York JFK has sharply higher waiting times.
The Independent has studied the corresponding data for Atlanta, Chicago O’Hare, Dallas-Fort Worth, Los Angeles International, Miami and Orlando, and found much lower averages and maxima, with the longest waits rarely approaching two hours.
Many passengers arriving at New York JFK have connections to onward flights. All arriving travellers must clear CBP checks even if they are flying straight out of the US.
At the Terminal 4 arrivals hall, there is a fast-track lane for passengers who can prove they have pressing connections.
Smaller airports tend to have much faster processing. At the Texan capital, Austin, the longest wait was 90 minutes but the typical time spent queuing was around 20 minutes.
A spokesperson for US Customs and Border Protection said that on 21 May alone the organisation processed over 40,000 passengers and crew at JFK.
They said: “The average passenger wait time for that period was 19 minutes with an average max wait time of under 49 minutes.
“Increased summer travel results in higher processing volumes at international airports such as JFK, and travellers are encouraged to visit CBP.gov before travelling to ensure all necessary documentation is on hand.
“CBP leverages the latest technology such as Mobile Passport Control and innovative Trusted Traveler Programs such as Global Entry and Simplified Arrival to facilitate legitimate travel and trade while upholding our enforcement mission.”
The organisation states its ethos is to “steadfastly enforce the laws of the United States while fostering our nation's economic security through lawful international trade and travel”.
Delays at JFK are being exacerbated by a $19bn (£14bn) refurbishment project, which restricts the space available for passengers to await border processing – and increases delays when trying to leave by road. Passengers are urged to take the AirTrain shuttle instead, leading to frequent overcrowding on the link.
The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, which owns JFK airport, says: “We’re completely transforming JFK International Airport into a world-class gateway, rebuilding across the airport.”
The organisation’s executive director, Rick Cotton, said: “Building a new, world-class JFK International Airport while maintaining full flight operations requires patience from passengers and we appreciate it, especially during the summer travel season.”
Many travellers to the US use pre-clearance facilities in Ireland, at both Dublin and Shannon airports. CBP officials stationed there process passengers much more quickly than the post-arrival checks.
On arrival in the US, the traveller is treated as a domestic passenger and can leave the airport as soon as they have reclaimed their baggage.
English (US) ·