You might lose Global Entry. Here’s how to keep it

Travelers $TRV are losing their Global Entry memberships at a rate that would have seemed unthinkable just a few years ago. The program, run by U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), is supposed to make re-entry easier for low-risk travelers — letting them skip the long lines and sail through automated kiosks at more than 60 airports, including major hubs like Chicago, New York, and Los Angeles.

But the safety net is fraying. More than 17,000 memberships were revoked in 2024 — a 47% jump from the year before, according to a Bloomberg Freedom of Information Act request — and 2025 hasn't slowed things down. People want to know why it's happening, and what they can do about it.

‘Complaining’ about border officers

Sometimes the reason is obvious. Customs violations, undeclared items, or recent criminal charges are all legitimate grounds for losing membership. But plenty of revocations don't come with a clean explanation — and that's where things get murky.

Wilmer Chavarria, superintendent of the Winooski School District in Vermont, found that out the hard way. Returning from Nicaragua in June, he was pulled aside and interrogated by CBP officers for five hours. A U.S. citizen since 2018, Chavarria later found out his Global Entry had been quietly cancelled. He told Vermont Public, a local news outlet, the experience was surreal and described it as psychological terror.

Then there's the case of a former CBP employee who complained about an aggressive officer after crossing back from Mexico — and had her Global Entry card taken on the spot. The reason given? She and her travel companion had been "unprofessional." Complaining about a border officer, it turns out, can cost you your membership.

Making matters worse, CBP has largely stopped explaining its decisions. A 2023 Government Accountability Office report found that the agency had reworked its notification letters and accidentally stripped out the section explaining why a membership was revoked. Many travelers are now left guessing.

What can you do about it?

There is a path to fight back. The CBP ombudsman office handles revocation appeals, and the success rate isn't terrible — 39% of appeals were overturned between 2020 and 2023. The catch is that you have to prove the revocation was wrong, which is a lot harder when no one told you what you did.

If you still have your membership, it's worth knowing what can put it at risk. A DUI conviction is a red flag. So is buying counterfeit goods online, even unknowingly, according to travel news outlet View From the Wing.

Staying on the right side of customs rules and avoiding anything that could flag you as a security concern is your best protection. And if an appeal fails, judicial review is technically an option — though it means hiring a lawyer and bracing for a long process.