It’s holiday time and that means one sure thing at local airports…long lines at airport security checkpoints, including immigration entry points at JFK, Newark and LaGuardia airports. But if you are lucky enough to be a member of the TSA’s Global Entry or the TSA Precheck Trusted Traveler programs, you can fly right past those lines. But while membership has its privileges, it’s getting into the club that has been the biggest challenge for American travelers, as we continue to get calls from US citizens all around the world asking us to help them fight their Global Entry / TSA Precheck application denials.
Do you really need a lawyer to appeal your Global Entry denial? In many cases, yes. Here’s why…
Applying for Global Entry and TSA Precheck – also called the United States Trusted Traveler Program – is easy. You simply fill out the application which is located online (click here for the link). There is a $100 non-refundable application fee. Note: If you have an American Express Platinum card, use it to pay this fee and Amex will reimburse you for the $100 fee as part of its Membership Rewards program. Then you wait to hear from TSA for your approval, at which point you will need to interview face-to-face with a Global Entry agent to be screened and approved. The interview is quick and easy—however, they do ask you a critical question which we have seen trigger dozens of denials: HAVE YOU EVER BEEN ARRESTED??
This question is complicated for many reasons: first, an arrest does not necessarily imply a conviction and people who are not as experienced with legal terminology may not appreciate the distinction. As the best Global Entry Appeal lawyers would tell you, thousands of people are arrested in America who eventually have their cases dismissed, erased and expunged without any kind of conviction or criminal record. Yet when you are sitting in front of a federal TSA agent and they ask you about your arrest or conviction history, you may not be able to compose yourself enough to explain this distinction to a federal agent. You can imagine that in this day and age of national security concerns, TSA agents are not taking any chances in letting high-risk people through security without comprehensive screening. As a result, the top Global Entry denial lawyers and attorneys are seeing applicants getting denied for having any kind of criminal conviction on their record—even reckless driving or DWIs / DUIs from over 25 years ago!
Yet because of the public backlash and outcry against this strict policy, we have recently seen the Global Entry policy against denying people with misdemeanor criminal records loosen up at the appellate level. People who have had their Global Entry applications denied have hired the Global Entry appeal lawyers at Mark Sherman Law to aggressively appeal their TSA Precheck / Global Entry denials. We are proud to say we have had success in fighting and winning Global Entry appeals, especially when we have been able to put forward the most comprehensive and technical application packages. Our experiences with the Global Entry Ombudsman’s office is starting to pay off with positive results for our Global Entry denial appeal practice. Not many firms offer the Global Entry experience we can provide. See below to read more about how any of our Global Entry denial lawyers can assist you with getting your Global Entry application appeal approved.
If you have had your Global Entry / TSA Precheck application denied, there’s not much you can do except appeal the decision. You cannot call the Ombudsman’s office to discuss your case with an entrant. In fact, you are usually provided very little information as to WHY your Global Entry application has been denied. It is frustrating and unfair. You have paid $100, waited months for an answer, and the TSA does not provide you with any adequate explanation as to why your Global Entry application was denied. That’s why we suggest you call a top Global Entry denial lawyer. Few law firms are ahead of the curve in this relatively new area of law. There are not clear cut guidelines, rules or regulations. Global Entry appeal lawyers can only guide themselves by what has worked and what has not worked in prosecuting Global Entry denial appeals.
So if you have applied for TSA Precheck or applied for Global Entry / Trusted Traveler Program and your application was denied without an adequate explanation, contact a Global Entry appeal lawyer at the Mark Sherman Law Firm today for a consultation with attorneys in our New York City or Stamford, Connecticut law offices. We will provide you with an honest assessment of your case from a cost-benefit perspective. If we do not think it is worth your time and money to appeal, then we will not take your case. The Global Entry guidelines appear to be a work in progress—it is essentially unchartered legal territory where the government keeps moving the end zone further away from you to accommodate ever-changing national security concerns and policies. But the world’s problems should not always be your problems, especially if you are being denied Global Entry because you got a reckless driving ticket 30 years ago while you were a teenager. So contact a Global Entry lawyer at Mark Sherman Law today. Our rates are reasonable and we are a step ahead of our competitors in prosecuting successful Global Entry appeals. Call us today.
