DHS Suspends Global Entry Program as Government Shutdown Continues

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced on Feb. 22 that its Global Entry rapid security screening program would be suspended as long as a funding lapse affecting the agency continues.

However, the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) PreCheck program will remain operational, the department said earlier in the day, reversing an earlier announcement stating that both the Global Entry and PreCheck programs would be suspended for the duration of the shutdown.

Both programs allow vetted, low-risk travelers to receive expedited security screening at the airport.

The TSA PreCheck program relates to security screening for boarding flights in the United States, and has more than 20 million active enrollees. The Global Entry program relates to customs screening for Americans and foreigners from more than 40 specific partner nations entering the United States.

Those authorized for the Global Entry program also receive TSA PreCheck.

Earlier, DHS had stated that both programs would be shut down until funding for the department was restored.

The TSA told The Epoch Times in an emailed statement that things could change “as staffing constraints arise,” referencing the rising absenteeism often seen among TSA employees as shutdowns persist.

“TSA will evaluate on a case-by-case basis and adjust operations accordingly,” the agency said.
“Courtesy escorts, such as those for Members of Congress, have been suspended to allow officers to focus on the mission of securing America’s skies,” it said.

Airlines for America CEO Chris Sununu had said after the first DHS announcement that his travel industry group was “deeply concerned that TSA PreCheck and Global Entry programs are being suspended,” noting that because of the “short notice,” people will have little time to plan ahead.

DHS was partially shut down earlier this month because of a congressional impasse over the budget, and the Trump administration’s immigration law enforcement efforts and rules for Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents and other immigration officers.

On Feb. 19, the Trump administration ordered the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), a part of the DHS, to suspend the deployment of hundreds of aid workers to disaster-affected areas, because of the shutdown.

In a statement on Feb. 22, DHS criticized congressional Democrats for not backing a measure to refund the agency. Services such as FEMA, Global Entry, and police escorts for members of Congress would be suspended, it said.

“This is the third time that Democrat politicians have shut down this department during the 119th Congress,” DHS Secretary Kristi Noem said in a statement. “Shutdowns have real world consequences, not just for the men and women of DHS and their families who go without a paycheck, but it endangers our national security.”

Elaborating on decisions made by the DHS, Noem said, “TSA and [Customs and Border Protection] are prioritizing the general traveling population at our airports and ports of entry and suspending courtesy and special privilege escorts.”

Noting that meteorologists had predicted that a major winter storm would slam the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast on Feb. 22 and Feb. 23—which forecasters said could bring several feet of snow to the New York City, Philadelphia, and Boston areas—she suggested that FEMA would be hampered by the shutdown.

“This is particularly important given this weekend another significant winter storm is forecast to impact the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast United States,” she stated.

Democratic congressional leaders have said that they want reforms to ICE in response to two fatal, officer-involved shootings in Minneapolis last month.

“Federal immigration agents cannot continue to cause chaos in our cities while using taxpayer money that should be used to make life more affordable for working families,” Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) said in a statement this month.

“The American people rightfully expect their elected representatives to take action to rein in ICE and ensure no more lives are lost.”

Reuters and The Associated Press contributed to this report.