Now that the LAX Global Entry Enrollment Center has closed indefinitely, here’s what to do

If you’re a traveler looking to ease airport wait times by enrolling in the U.S. Customs and Border Protection’s Global Entry program, now’s a good time to check your application status.

Customs and Border Protection officials, scrambling to send more staffers to cope with conditions at the Mexican border, closed the by-appointment Global Entry Enrollment Center at LAX in late June. But many travelers say they never got word that their appointments had been canceled.

CBP spokesman Jaime Ruiz on Monday acknowledged “a scheduling system glitch” that resulted in some travelers arriving at the LAX center and finding the doors locked. Ruiz said that the problem has been fixed and that CBP is urging travelers who are already conditionally approved to go online and schedule (or reschedule) their appointments for the agency’s Long Beach Seaport facility at 301 E. Ocean Blvd., Room 670.

That office is open 7 a.m.-3 p.m. Mondays through Fridays, but walk-in customers are not being accepted. Travelers need to have an appointment, which can be made only online.

The agency is also warning Global Entry applicants of “a substantial backlog” in the application process.

The LAX Global Entry Enrollment Center at 11099 La Cienega Blvd. will remain closed indefinitely while Customs and Border Protection workers deal with problems on the Mexican border, officials said.

Besides the Long Beach appointment option, Ruiz said, travelers with upcoming international trips have the alternative of enrolling on return arrival at LAX or one of 48 other participating U.S. airports, including San Diego International, San Francisco International and John Wayne Airport in Santa Ana). When enrolling upon arrival on a flight back into the U.S., Ruiz said, no appointment is necessary.

The by-appointment Global Entry Enrollment Centers at San Diego International Airport and San Francisco International Airport remain open.

The Global Entry program gives expedited Customs clearance to low-risk travelers who agree to pay a $100 application fee and provide fingerprints, a photo and information in an interview. If the application is approved, the traveler gets the expedited procedure for five years and also gets PreCheck, the airport security program that expedites screening in the U.S. before boarding a flight.