U.S. Customs and Border Protection and the Transportation Security Administration announced that the Air Cargo Advance Screening (ACAS) program went into effect. The program requires the submission of advanced air cargo information on shipments arriving in the United States from a foreign location. Previously a voluntary process in which many airlines already participated globally, the program requirements are now mandatory for airlines flying to the United States.

As part of the ACAS program, participating carriers submit a subset of required pre-arrival air cargo data to CBP at the earliest point practicable and prior to loading the cargo onto aircraft destined to or transiting through the United States. ACAS leverages DHS threat information and other data to employ a risk-based approach to improve air cargo security through targeted vetting. At the National Targeting Center, CBP and TSA jointly target and mitigate any cargo identified as high-risk before it is loaded aboard aircraft destined to the United States.