Global Entry is back, but airport lines are still a mess

Global Entry comes back after 17-day halt

Global Entry is running again. The Department of Homeland Security reactivated the trusted traveler program on March 11 at 5 a.m. ET, ending a 17-day suspension that started Feb. 22.

A DHS spokesperson said the move was meant to ease disruptions for travelers caught in the middle of a funding standoff.

But the partial DHS shutdown that caused the suspension is now in its fourth week, and no deal is in sight.

Global Entry saves time at the airport

Global Entry is a trusted traveler program run by U.S. Customs and Border Protection. It lets pre-approved travelers skip standard passport control lines when returning to the U.S. from abroad.

Instead of waiting in regular customs lines, members use automated kiosks at more than 75 airports. A five-year membership costs $120 and requires a background check and an interview.

Members also get TSA PreCheck at no extra charge. The program runs mostly on member fees and kept operating during past government shutdowns.

DHS pulled Global Entry on Feb. 22

DHS announced on Feb. 22 that it was halting Global Entry at all participating airports. Then-Secretary Kristi Noem said officers assigned to the program would be moved to handle the general traveling public.

DHS also briefly suspended TSA PreCheck at the same time but reversed that decision within days. Critics, including the U.S. Travel Association and lawmakers from both parties, called the suspension unnecessary.

They argued it pulled resources away from screening higher-risk travelers, making airports less safe, not more.

DHS funding ran out on Feb. 14

The shutdown started when DHS funding lapsed on Feb. 14 after Congress failed to agree on a spending bill.

Democrats want immigration enforcement reforms written into law, including body cameras for agents, visible identification, and judicial warrants for certain arrests.

Republicans say those changes would hinder enforcement and that reforms have already been made. This is the third funding lapse in recent months, but this one hits only DHS.

Every other federal agency has funding for the rest of fiscal year 2026.

Two fatal shootings sparked the standoff

Federal immigration agents fatally shot two U.S. citizens, Renee Good and Alex Pretti, in separate incidents in Minneapolis in January 2026.

The shootings led Senate Democrats to block DHS funding until reforms were in place.

Republicans argued the shootings do not justify cutting off funding from an entire department that also covers disaster relief, cybersecurity, and the Coast Guard.

The standoff has left DHS as the only federal agency without funding, according to a Wikipedia compiled timeline of 2026 U.S. federal government shutdowns with primary sourcing.

TSA workers miss paychecks and walk out

About 61,000 TSA employees must keep working without pay during the shutdown.

Unscheduled absences among TSA officers have more than doubled since the funding lapse began, and more than 300 TSA employees have left the agency since the shutdown started, according to a CBS News exclusive report on TSA absences doubling and 300+ officers leaving.

Many workers live paycheck to paycheck and are struggling to cover basic bills.

TSA employees got only a partial paycheck on Feb. 28 and will miss their first full paycheck on March 14.

Long lines hit major airports this week

The staffing crunch is creating real problems at airports across the country. Houston’s William P. Hobby Airport saw wait times topping three hours last weekend.

New Orleans International Airport warned of two-hour delays and asked travelers to arrive three hours early.

Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport and Charlotte Douglas International Airport also reported extended waits. Some airports have told travelers to arrive four to five hours before their flights.

The disruptions are hitting just as spring break travel picks up.

Travel industry calls on Congress to act

The U.S. Travel Association welcomed the Global Entry restoration but said it does not solve the bigger problem.

The group argued all along that suspending Global Entry made airports less safe by pulling resources away from high-risk traveler screening.

Airlines for America, which represents major carriers, called on Congress to end the shutdown and stop using TSA workers as political leverage.

The travel industry estimated that last year’s government shutdown caused over 9,000 flight delays or cancellations and cost the sector about $6 billion, according to a CNN report on travel industry response and the estimated $6 billion cost of the 2025 shutdown.

DHS lost its leader during the crisis

President Trump fired Kristi Noem as DHS secretary on March 5, two days after back-to-back contentious congressional hearings.

Trump named Sen. Markwayne Mullin of Oklahoma as her replacement, with that change set for March 31. Mullin still needs Senate confirmation.

That means DHS has no confirmed, permanent leader while the shutdown drags on and airports across the country deal with growing staffing shortages and frustrated travelers.

What travelers need to know right now

Global Entry is operational again as of March 11, and TSA PreCheck also remains open.

But long security lines may continue at many airports because of staffing shortages, and restoring Global Entry does not fix that problem.

Travelers should check their specific airport’s website for the latest wait time updates.

The TSA website and app have been offline since Feb. 17 because of the shutdown, so those are not reliable sources for current information.

No deal expected anytime soon

Congress would need to pass legislation to fund DHS and end the standoff, but Democrats and Republicans remain far apart. Democrats say reforms must be written into law first.

Republicans say the other side is blocking funding without cause. The longer the shutdown runs, the greater the risk that more TSA workers leave or call out sick.

Federal workers are guaranteed back pay once the shutdown ends under a 2019 law, but that does not help cover this week’s bills.

This article was created with AI assistance and human editing.

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