Good News for Those With Global Entry

Travelers enrolled in Global Entry can exhale again. The Trump administration switched the trusted-traveler program back on at 5am Eastern on Wednesday, after halting it in February due to the partial shutdown of the Department of Homeland Security, which is ongoing. The AP notes DHS officials initially said the program would be paused for the duration of the partial shutdown when announcing the move on Feb. 22.

CBS News reports the US Travel Association praised the reversal, arguing programs like Global Entry and TSA PreCheck tighten security and keep lines moving. DHS had initially targeted both programs. It quickly restored PreCheck, but US Customs and Border Protection workers who had been staffing the Global Entry program were shifted to process all other arriving travelers.

The New York Times reports Americans in the fee-based Global Entry program receive expedited processing when they return to the US from abroad. The shutdown—triggered by a funding standoff tied to demands for changes at DHS after two fatal shootings by federal immigration agents—continues to affect TSA, FEMA, the Coast Guard and other agencies.