TSA launches second TWIC enrollment site in Houston

Aug. 15, 2008
Agency creates secong site to meet growing demand

Port and longshore workers, truckers and others who require unescorted access to the Port of Houston are now able to enroll for the Department of Homeland Security's Transportation Worker Identification Credential (TWIC) at a second enrollment site to meet the high demand in the area. The program's goal is to ensure that any individual who has unescorted access to secure areas of port facilities and vessels has received a thorough background check and is not a security threat.

More than 200,000 workers are expected to enroll at the local enrollment centers before the compliance deadline. Currently, the program has enrolled approximately 40,000 employees in the region. Nationwide, more than 1.2 million workers with unescorted access to secure areas will apply during the rest of 2008 and through April 2009.

"TSA is ensuring the infrastructure is in place to manage the thousands of Houston workers who must enroll in the TWIC program prior to the compliance date," said Maurine Fanguy, TWIC program director for Transportation Security Administration (TSA). "Workers should enroll as soon as possible so they can meet the enrollment deadline and continue to have access to secure areas of our ports."

The enrollment sites are located at:

 TWIC Enrollment Center                     TWIC Enrollment Center  West Gulf Maritime Association             Gulf Gate Professional Building  1717 Turning Basin, Suite 100              2900 Woodridge Dr, Suite 314  Houston, TX 77029                          Houston, TX  77087-2506

Workers at the Port of Houston are able to pre-enroll for TWIC online at www.tsa.gov/twic or the Coast Guard's Homeport site, http://homeport.uscg.mil. Pre-enrolling speeds up the process by allowing workers to provide biographic information and schedule a time to complete the application process in person. This eliminates waiting at enrollment centers and reduces the time it takes to enroll each individual.

For more information about TSA, please visit our Web site at www.tsa.gov.