Well here’s some positive news… now if only someone could explain why this ever happened in the first place.
Global Entry shutdown ends after 17 days
On February 22, 2026, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced that it would suspend Global Entry and TSA PreCheck, two programs that save travelers time at the airport. The argument was that due to the partial government shutdown, resources would instead be put into “prioritizing the general traveling population.”
This made absolutely no sense, since Global Entry and TSA PreCheck are both services that are more efficient for screening travelers, and therefore reduce the number of employees needed. So if you anticipate being short staffed, completely closing Global Entry and TSA PreCheck is counterproductive.
Anyway, the Trump administration had almost immediately reversed course on the TSA PreCheck closure, but kept the Global Entry policy in place for more than two weeks.
That will finally be changing — as of 5AM ET today (March 11, 2026), Global Entry is being reopened across the board, so travelers will once again have access to expedited immigration for clearing immigration about returning to the United States.
This policy reversal is good news, but…
I’m happy to see the Trump administration reverse course on its Global Entry policy, but it’s hard to give them too much credit for simply reversing a baseless restriction they implemented in the first place.
I still don’t understand the full backstory of how this came to be, or what the justification for closing Global Entry was other than “hey, let’s make life more unpleasant for everyone, as that’s a winning strategy with this shutdown.”
Was Kristi Noem behind this policy, and with her now fired — pardon me, I mean, promoted to the important role of “Special Envoy for the Shield of the Americas” — the policy is finally being reconsidered? I just don’t get it. If someone has an explanation that doesn’t just involve accusing others of having “TDS,” I’d love to hear it!
Bottom line
Global Entry is reopening as of 5AM on March 11, 2026, after a closure of 17 days. The Trump administration closed Global Entry due to the partial government shutdown, but it’s not exactly clear to me how potential staffing issues are supposed to be helped by making the immigration screening process longer for some passengers.
What do you make of this Global Entry policy reversal?
