Welcome to FlyerTalk Shalar!

I merged your post into the relevant thread, which contains plenty of advice.

TWA884
Travel Safety/Security co-moderator

If you are a US citizen or LPR, then I would suggest applying for reconsideration and also reaching out on the matter to one of your two US Senators while at it; and if it's possibly relevant to your situation, don't be shy about mentioning to DHS that you are concerned that you may have been subject to exclusion from the program on a prejudicial basis of ethnic/religious/national origin affiliation since you have never been in trouble.

Yes I’m a US citizen and live in California. So I’ll write to our senators here. I didn’t know this was an option but I certainly will reach out to them as this is ridiculous. I even worked at the CDC for several years. So if I passed those background checks, why not pass Global Entry?

I asked this question in another forum and someone asked if my husband had a record. He currently is an emergency physician but over 15 years ago, he was arrested at a football game and charged with disturbing the peace. This charge happened before we were even married though. I don’t see how that would even affect my application (since I had nothing to do with this).

Also he has the same date of birth and name as a criminal in their system. He’s always flagged by customs when we travel. However once they look in their system and verify he’s a different person, we’re free to go on our way.

Do you think he could’ve been the reason my application was denied? Thanks.

Yes, it’s possible. This kind of thing has happened before. Best to mention the possibility of being shut out because of identity confusion with regard to your husband/household member.

I literally have no idea why I'm denied. This is my second time applying after a first denial and every single time, I get this response: "You do not meet program eligibility requirements.". I've contacted the Ombudsman before via email, but still got no definitive answer on why I was denied. I looked up all my border entry records as well as my background check and everything seems to be fine. This is frustrating and would love to understand if anyone has encountered this and figured out what the best way is moving forward.

Have you tried reaching out to the staff at your congressional representative's office?

hey, that's such a good idea. i've never contacted my congressional rep. I will definitely look into that and keep you posted. thank you for pointing me to such a good resource!

Quick update!
 

Hey all! So I reached out to my senator for help back in January. I submitted my denial notification and reason as to why I thought I was denied. I just heard back from CBP Ombudsman and I’ve been conditionally approved. So I’ll schedule my interview and proceed with the next step now.

Good to hear.. Regarding your husband, I don't know if guy be eligible for Global Entry or TSA Precheck due to his record, but he should definitely get a Redress number, since as you said, he gets flagged every time due to having the same name and date of birth as someone else who has issues.

Nope, very unique last name. Also, my appeal was denied by the ombudsman, no reason given. I requested more information and was not given any. My wife got approved, btw.
My ex-wife does have a arrest record, I wonder if this could be it. Is it worth re-apply and perhaps reach out to the congressman? Would I reach out before or after the decision is made?

Back story published above back in December, but here's a summary of what has occurred:

1. Applied for my G.E. renewal in November, was inexplicably denied, reason stating "Previous Customs Violation". (Of which I was unaware I had one).
2. Filed a FoIA request, was shocked at the reply, "Due to law enforcement sensitive information, we are unable to disclose specific information regarding your denial. Any responsive records have been withheld, pursuant to Title 5 U.S.C. § 552 and have applied the appropriate exemptions, b(7)(E)."
3. I still had no idea why I was declined and nervous as can be, "What the heck did I do (more like what did they think I did????)".
4. Filed via the Ombudsman for a review of my application.
5. Had lots of domestic travel in December and beyond, so I applied for stand-alone PreCheck--wasn't waiting around for however long this process took without PreCheck. Was approved quickly without an issue.
6. Received conditional approval about a month ago and had my interview last week.
7. Had my full approval e-mail waiting in my inbox by the time I got back to my office.

Officer asked me in my interview, "Have you ever had a Customs violation, either in the USA or in a foreign country?". I replied that I know I have not in a foreign country, but I just don't know about the US and specifically addressed the above situation. Turns out, the privately-held corporation I work for, of which I am NOT a shareholder, imports from Asia. We bring in container after container after container (off topic: don't get me started on the supply chain issues!)...Anyway, about a year ago the company had an innocent-enough Customs violation--our first in probably a decade. It was proven unintentional, we showed we acted in good faith, did NOT get fined by Customs, but lost the product to seizure (which probably happens hundreds of times a day at various ports across the US). To put it into perspective, we've brought in probably 2,500 different line items in the last decade alone, in wholesale quantities and had one violation--it's like driving--if a cop follows you long enough, you're going to commit an offense and get pulled over. I'm not poo-pooing it off, but in the grand scheme of things, it's not that big of a deal (at least until now, LOL). Because I'm the point of contact for Customs within our company, it apparently went into some sort of 'file' on me, would be my guess.

The officer was quite sympathetic and even said "That doesn't seem right" and was going to look deeper into it (but I don't expect a response)...And again, I had my full approval an hour after my interview. While all's well that ends well, this is kind of BS as far as I'm concerned.

Thank you for sharing. At least you received an answer you were seeking finally.

I did Enrollment on Arrival interview last week, where the officer said I can expect Approval email within 24-72 hours, and how to use KTN, etc.
Got a notification today that my application was denied due to:
"Other - You do not meet program eligibility requirements."

US Citizen, never been in any trouble, no issues with customs, no encounters with law enforcement, except speeding tickets.
EoA interview was the first time ever I was taken in for secondary customs inspection.

Is contacting my senator's office the best way to appeal/inquire about the real reason for denial?

I would start with making an inquiry via the TTP website to the Ombudsman:

https://www.cbp.gov/travel/trusted-t...rogram-denials

From reading the thread so far, it sounds like an Ombudsman inquiry only receives a generic reply, about 6 months later. The link instructs inquirers send documents that influences them into overturning the denial. But as they've not provided me any reason, I don't even know what to send them without wasting the 6 months.