US restarts Global Entry program amid industry pressure
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FILE PHOTO: A Transportation Security Administration (TSA) security checkpoint at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport in Arlington, Virginia, U.S., February 14, 2026. REUTERS/Annabelle Gordon/File Photo
By David Shepardson
WASHINGTON, March 11 (Reuters) - The Trump administration on Wednesday reinstated the Global Entry program that expedites U.S. customs and immigration clearance for pre-approved, low-risk travelers entering the United States, the government said.
The Department of Homeland Security on February 22 suspended the program but reversed course on its initial plan to also suspend the Transportation Security Administration's PreCheck program. The DHS said the move was necessary to "preserve limited funds and personnel" during a partial government shutdown.
The DHS said it had reactivated Global Entry at 5 am ET.
"We are working hard to alleviate the disruptions to travelers caused by the Democrats' shutdown," the government said, but did not provide an explanation for why the fee-funded program was being reinstated.
During the 43-day government shutdown last fall, the government did not suspend Global Entry or TSA PreCheck, and many saw the Global Entry suspension as a tactic to pressure Democrats to agree to fund the DHS.
Senator Mark Warner, a Virginia Democrat, noted that more than 18 million travelers used Global Entry in 2025, saving over 300,000 officer hours at 79 ports of entry. He said the DHS had been "inflicting pain for American travelers as a political stunt."
Democrats say they are willing to resume funding for TSA but want immigration policy reforms.
Airlines and travel groups had pushed the Trump administration to restart the program. The suspension of the Global Entry program has led to lines of three hours or more at some airports for travelers entering the United States. Absences by TSA personnel in recent days have also led to long security lines at some U.S. airports.
Approximately 50,000 TSA airport security officers are working without pay and are set to receive no wages in their regular two-week paycheck on Friday.
(Reporting by David Shepardson; Editing by Andrew Heavens and Pooja Desai)
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