BAY ST. LOUIS, Miss. (AP) — A federal plant at Stennis Space Center is now making trusted traveler cards in addition to passports.
The U.S. Government Printing Office says it will make about 20,000 trusted traveler cards a month for the Customs and Border Protection unit of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. The cards allow people who pass pre-screening to use shorter lines at border crossings and international airports.
Government Printing Office spokesman Gary Somerset says the facility employs 45 people. It opened in 2008 and has since made 19 million passports.
The GPO set up a second passport facility beyond its Washington, D.C. plant in part to have an additional source in case of disruptions. Somerset says increasing demand and desire for a second source led GPO to start traveler card production at Stennis.
