Department of Homeland Security shutdowns could cause flight delays. Graphic by Lily O’Connor.
LILY O’CONNOR | NEWS EDITOR | lkoconnor@butler.edu
As spring break approaches, traveling, especially internationally, could pose a challenge due to a partial government shutdown of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). Students and faculty who plan to go home, take a vacation or study abroad could experience long lines in security or delayed flights.
The partial government shutdown began Feb. 14 after Congress did not act to fund the DHS on Feb. 13. The Democrats demanded changes to immigration operations that are integral to the White House’s deportation plans. Essential agency employees, including the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) employees, will remain working, but many of them will be unpaid until the shutdown is over.
However, while ICE operations are not expected to slow down due to funding of $75 million from the Big Beautiful Bill in July 2025, TSA relies on DHS funding. In the past, TSA has seen slowed operations because of high rates of employees staying home due to financial limitations. While TSA PreCheck will remain open, Global Entry is completely shut down, potentially adding to the TSA lines.
Currently, delays are minimal, but are expected to increase as March and spring break approaches provided that the shutdown continues.
Graduate accounting student Ella Million will be traveling to Puerto Rico during spring break. She is worried about what a flight delay would mean for her trip.
“We already have pretty long travel days because we wanted to have cheap flights, so I feel like it would make the trip a little bit shorter and just ultimately [more] terrible if I had to spend more time with my spring break in the airport,” Million said.
Bob Schultz, a professor in the College of Communication, is traveling during spring break with a strategic communication class to Rome for an Eastern Mediterranean cruise. He is not concerned about the partial shutdown affecting the trip. However, if any problems were to arise, he is confident that the Center for Global Education (CGE) will support all study abroad programs.
“The [CGE] here at Butler will keep me posted if there [are] any changes to travel schedules,” Schultz said. “That would be any day, any year. I think weather is always what I’m braced a little bit more for than government shutdown … If there’s any issue with the trip, both the [CGE], myself and my other leaders on the trip are registered as travelers with the U.S. State Department, so they know we’re abroad, and they will notify us if there’s something that would impact our travel.”
Million expressed concern for herself and others traveling internationally or overseas solo or with friends who do not have support from the university.
“If you’re flying domestically, [you] could go to different airports trying to make it [your] way back to [your] home,” Million said. “But, if you’re stranded overseas, that’s kind of an issue. If I’m stuck in Puerto Rico for many days. That’s gonna cost me a lot of money.”
