Russia, as in the country that tried to warn the US about the (now-deceased) at least half-Chechen Boston Marathon bomber even after the country had been on the receiving end of Chechen terrorists who had US training and other material support from the US?

Family connections in the US can be used as pressure points too, with pressure even applied from, by or on behalf of foreigners and/or foreign governments.

If family connections abroad is such a big fear -- and it is for some -- then perhaps the country should be in the business of holding a family member hostage and/or only employing orphans or those alienated completely from healthy family connections?

The "sins of the father" is used by the government against free US persons, and that is in part why I oppose DHS "trusted traveler" nonsense and why I instead prefer that such "trusted traveler" type facilities be a default right for all free US persons.

Why speculate? Write to the Ombudsman. By OP's own admission, his account says that his GOES was revoked for "ineligibility." Running around asking others isn't going to yield a result. Going to the Ombudsman might not, but is OP's best chance.

My recommendation: stop posting, do not send emails and do not discuss with others. Deal with the Ombudsman. Period.

Haven't you heard about the FT get enough votes for you GE exception?

In reality, the above post/poster is the best advice. All you will get on FT is sympathy from some quarters and, frankly, a dose of suspicion from the rest that you've really done some vile and reprehensible act that justifies your GE de-frocking.

The OP should certainly contact the Ombudsman . . . and then check his mailbox for a response in 3-6 months. I hear there is one Ombudsman (singular) and that he is backed up-- and that was before PreCheck which I'm sure is no help.

OP isn't asking FT to solve his problem, but to provide advice and to share similar experiences. He's obviously received some advice, but he clearly also wants to know if anyone has been in a similar situation and received a response from the ombudsman with an explanation. He CAN do both at the same time, you know...

Thank you for expressing exactly what I was thinking.

Indeed, but some apologists for government/travel industry suppliers/who-knows-what may not want the proverbial "dirty laundry" ways of their favorites exposed and would prefer to "whitewash" reality in attempted defense of their favorites.

The exposure of the "dirty laundry" provides practical knowledge of relevance to those passengers who find themselves in such situations.

Out of curiosity, do you have a "common" last name? There is a possibility that your rejection is linked with someone else.
I doubt that contacting the Ombudsman could hurt your case--so certainly do that. You might try to directly contact CBP. [There is a thread here on FT where a GE applicant was demeaned by the CBP agent during his interview--and was initially rejected. He contacted CBP (possibly with the aid of his Senator or Cong. Rep.) and after his new interview WAS accepted.]
Have you (now) tried to access your account on GE: (1)can you log in? (2)perhaps some pertinent info is listed there.

Presuming that part is true... Report the incident to your security office. Technically, you should have done so already. Have them track it down.

No longer eligible could mean that the eligibility criteria for GE have now changed. Have you carefully reviewed the current rules?

Since you say that father lived in Europe, are you a USA citizen? Could you have dual citizenship and could this cause a problem?

That might with a security clearance, but not with GE. Or, if it does, then I'm screwed given the number of passports I've got.

That was the original reason for my post, to reduce my own speculation by learning from other people's experience navigating the system. This is a unique process and I am trying to understand better how the review process works. The strange position I found myself in was staring at a blank sheet of paper not knowing what to speculate about (so I could write something to the Ombudsman). I wrote a letter anyway.

According to an article, between 2002 and 2009, 6,534 NEXUS memberships were revoked, and another article says that Sentri revokes about 2,000 cards per year. GOES is in the same family with these programs, and I figure has a similar rate. So I'm probably asking a common question on behalf of a lot of people. Maybe they can update the GOES FAQ to provide some guidance on what information the Ombudsman is looking for when the applicant has no clue of the specific reason they are not eligible anymore.

Need advice re GE revocation over a violation
 

FTers,

I apologize for this non-United post, but I have no idea where else I could go for help.

In 2011 I successfully enrolled in Global Entry and have enjoyed membership with no hiccups until now. I travel internationally an average of 10 times per year for work so the program is really valuable to me. Last month I got an email telling em my membership was due to expire so I started the renewal process. Yesterday I received two communications - one denying my renewal application, the other revoking my existing membership. The reason? A "2009 CBP violation". My initial reaction was ... but then I remembered - in 2009 the entire family traveled to France. On the way home, my husband was asleep so I filled out the customs form (didn't have Global Entry then). His luggage was flagged for search, and he had inadvertently packed lunch meat in his suitcase. He paid the fine - even had to go to the ATM with a custom agent because it was cheaper to pay cash.

Now I am being told that because I filled out the form on behalf of our family - even though the meat was not in my luggage and he admitted to mistakenly packing it - I not only cannot renew my Global Entry membership, I am FOREVER ineligible for any US trusted traveler program. I am baffled. Is anyone knowledgeable about this? What can I do???

My marriage and I appreciate any help!

The first option is to contact where you had your interview (or any enrollment center) to talk about why you got denied. In many cases, though, they’ll just refer you to the ombudsman, though. Go to option 2.

The ombudsman, your second option, will require you to write an appeal. If it’s because you have a questionable criminal background (or did something stupid when you were 17), you’ll probably have to submit official court paperwork proving your case. You can send an email to [email protected] or even snail mail it. Where to lick the stamp?

U.S. Customs and Border Protection
P.O. Box 946
Williston, VT 05495
Attention: CBP Ombudsman

There is a chance that if your infraction was pretty petty, Global Entry might still approve you. A conviction does not automatically disqualify you, but it can. One of the questions that a customs officer will ask you in your interview is whether or not you have ever been arrested. They’re not there to harangue criminals; they’re just there to figure out whether you’re a serious threat. Confused? Straight from the horse’s mouth, from John Wagner, the guy who runs the entire program:

By and large, any type of criminal conviction would disqualify someone. We are looking for people who have demonstrated past compliance with laws and regulations. It is an assessment of the person we’re looking at as far as risk factors.

So, as you can see, there is possible leeway. Just to give you a little story of my own, I was once arrested for showing a fake ID in college. Though I was never convicted, I brought all my paperwork to my interview, and though it took some time, I was approved for the program. It seems that like being forthcoming and honest counts for just as much.

The third and fourth option requires submitting a complaint. You have two choices here: you can either submit it straight to the Customs Border Protection agency, or you can send it to the DHS Traveler Redress Inquiry Program. These, however, should be last-ditch efforts if you’re not getting anywhere with the ombudsman.

Sorry to hear!

Here's the best place for your question: http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/pract...ty-issues-686/