The nearly two-week-old shutdown of Department of Homeland Security funding is hitting one group of travelers particularly hard: members of Global Entry, a program that expedites arrival into the United States.
On Sunday, citing staffing issues, the department announced it had suspended Global Entry and T.S.A. PreCheck in order to reassign officers, who are not being paid during the shutdown. While the department quickly reversed its decision to halt PreCheck, Global Entry remains paused.
Travelers have reported varying experiences at customs and immigration checkpoints at airports since the announcement. At San Francisco International Airport, Global Entry kiosks are not working, but Customs and Border Protection, part of D.H.S., is allowing Global Entry members to use the priority lane, said Doug Yakel, an airport spokesman. C.B.P. is also still processing interviews for conditionally approved Global Entry applicants, he added.
At the airports in the New York metro area, however, Global Entry has been fully shut down, said James Allen, a spokesman for the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, which runs the airports. Mr. Allen noted that passengers could still use Mobile Passport Control, an app that offers U.S. citizens and many other travelers shorter waits at customs and immigration checkpoints.
Global Entry also appears to still be operational at some international airports approved to process travelers in the program, including Toronto Pearson International Airport.
The D.H.S. trusted traveler programs, which include Global Entry and PreCheck, are popular, with more than 40 million subscribers as of 2024, according to the T.S.A. Thirteen percent of all arriving air travelers use Global Entry, according to the U.S. Travel Association, a trade group that promotes travel to and within the country.
The Global Entry program grants preapproved, low-risk travelers from the United States and 22 other countries swifter entry into the United States using facial recognition and dedicated lines. At most Global Entry points, a kiosk takes a member’s photo, and interaction with an agent takes seconds. The program costs $120 for five years.
Industry groups criticized the decision to pause Global Entry. There is “no fiscal or logical rationale” for the decision, U.S. Travel said in a statement, adding that the program is funded primarily by the membership fees and that it saved officers more than 300,000 hours last year alone.
“Global Entry is far more than a convenience; it is on the front line of national security. Its more than 13 million members undergo rigorous background checks, interviews and vetting,” the statement said. “Suspending it doesn’t just slow lines. It increases costs and strips away a layer of security infrastructure that took years to build.”
Airlines for America, a trade group representing the nation’s largest carriers, said in a statement that there was “no need and no data” to support the government’s action, which it said also threatened the upcoming busy spring break travel period.
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Several Democratic politicians denounced the suspension, saying the administration was using the traveling public as a negotiating tool. “Instead of punishing travelers, Trump should focus on negotiating urgent ICE reforms,” Senator Patty Murray, of Washington, wrote in a post on X, referring to a dispute over Immigration and Customs Enforcement that is at the center of the partial shutdown.
D.H.S. did not respond to questions about why a program funded by member fees was paused, whether Global Entry lanes were still available at some airports or when the program might resume.
“Until funding for the Department is restored, C.B.P. officers are currently unpaid but continue to focus on preventing potential security risks from those entering the country,” an agency spokesperson said.
As the closure continues, travelers report worsening lines at airport immigration checkpoints and say they fear what the situation could look like in the coming days.
Ryan Nagle, 37, a frequent business traveler who has had Global Entry membership for more than a decade, was on a flight from Buenos Aires to New York early Sunday when he received a news alert saying the service had been suspended.
When he arrived at Kennedy Airport, he walked to the usual Global Entry lane, only to find it closed. A customs agent ushered him and other passengers to the “all passengers” line.
“It was early, and we were the first off the plane, so it only took a few minutes to get through, but there was a lot of confusion,” Mr. Nagle said. “It was pure luck that we got through so fast. I doubt it will be that easy next time.”
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Christine Chung is a Times reporter covering airlines and consumer travel.
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