The U.S. Customs and Border Protection Processing System is Back up at Airports Nation-Wide, After Hundreds Of People Were Delayed
A U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) system shut down is over, after hundreds of people waited in line to be processed at airports across the country.
“The affected systems are coming back online and travelers are being processed,” CBP said in a Tweet. “CBP will continue to monitor the incident. There is no indication the disruption was malicious in nature at this time.”
In an earlier Friday statement to TIME, CBP, which oversees entry into the U.S. at all international airports, said that it was experiencing a “temporary outage” with its processing systems at airports, but did not say how many were impacted.
“CBP officers continue to process international travelers using alternative procedures until systems are back online,” a CBP spokesperson said. “Travelers at some ports of entry are experiencing longer than usual wait times and CBP officers are working to process travelers as quickly as possible while maintaining the highest levels of security.”
According to tweets by John F. Kennedy International Airport and Los Angeles International Airport, agents began processing passengers manually until the system was fixed. San Francisco International Airport and Dulles International Airport, Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport and O’Hare International Airport were also affected.
Your time is important, and we know a long wait at customs is frustrating, especially during peak travel periods. We ask for your patience and understanding as we work with @CBPNewYorkCity to find ways to mitigate the issue following @CBP staffing changes from the federal govt. pic.twitter.com/3FaOoGObIf
— Kennedy Airport (@JFKairport) August 16, 2019
.@CBP systems are experiencing an issue which appears to be impacting multiple airports including LAX. Officers are processing passengers manually so please check with your airline for the latest status of any flight impacts. More details as they become available.
— LAX Airport (@flyLAXairport) August 16, 2019
Meanwhile, passengers took to social media to vent their frustration.
Here’s a better perspective of the customs line at JFK. People are growing frustrated. Nothing like landing after a 10 hour flight to this. pic.twitter.com/WrEUsoJhbH
— Sarah Baird 🙌 (@Baird_S) August 16, 2019
I was finally able to check in for a flight before actually getting to the airport 😂.... & now US Customs systems are down NATION WIDE! Line is crazy & getting crazier. pic.twitter.com/RctYJbEFrF
— Ali Ahmad (@AliAhmad03) August 16, 2019
Stuck at Dulles customs system down. Two hours and counting! All US passport holders just waiting.... What happened to the old fashioned stamp? pic.twitter.com/lIV6EEAj9N
— Andi (@PatriotAndiH) August 16, 2019