Air travelers entering US face long delays as CBP computers crash
The CBP is currently investigating the cause.
Air travellers entering the US were delayed on Friday after a computer issue prevented customs officials from processing their immigration information. The CBP is reportedly investigating the problem but have yet to identify the cause.
Nationwide outage of US CBP computer systems. Easily 5,000+ passengers in line at Dulles. pic.twitter.com/JGJD95sfFx
— Rebekah Tromble (@RebekahKTromble) August 16, 2019
According to officials at the JFK Airport in New York, the issue has impacted the processing system nationwide but airports have already begun to switch over to an older (albeit slower) backup. LAX in California has also confirmed that its systems are down and urges travellers to check the status of their flight before heading to the airport.
The CBP has not yet issued an official statement regarding the problem but has released the following tweet:
CBP is experiencing a temporary outage with its processing systems at various air ports of entry & is taking immediate action to address the technology disruption. CBP officers continue to process international travelers using alternative procedures until systems are back online.
— CBP (@CBP) August 16, 2019
"CBP officers are working to process travelers as quickly as possible while maintaining the highest levels of security," the agency wrote in a subsequent tweet.