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A Proclamation on Advancing the Safe Resumption of Global Travel During the COVID- ⁠ 19   Pandemic

The continued spread of the SARS-CoV-2 virus that causes coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a global threat to our health and safety.  COVID-19 has resulted in more than 733,000 deaths in the United States and more than 4,932,000 deaths worldwide.  New variants of SARS-CoV-2 have also emerged globally, and variants that are more transmissible or cause more severe disease than the original virus strain are identified by the United States Government SARS-CoV-2 Interagency Group as variants of concern.  Globally, as of October 20, 2021, 166 countries have reported cases of the B.1.617.2 (Delta) variant, a variant of concern that spreads more easily than previously discovered variants of SARS-CoV-2.  The potential emergence of a variant of high consequence — one that significantly reduces the effectiveness of prevention measures or medical countermeasures — is also a primary public health concern.

It is the policy of my Administration to implement science-based public health measures, across all areas of the Federal Government, to prevent further introduction, transmission, and spread of COVID-19 into and throughout the United States, including from international air travelers.  The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) within the Department of Health and Human Services has determined that the best way to slow the spread of COVID-19, including preventing infection by the Delta variant, is for individuals to get vaccinated.  According to the CDC, vaccinated individuals are 5 times less likely to be infected and 10 times less likely to experience hospitalization or death due to COVID-19 than unvaccinated individuals.  Other mitigation measures are also critical to slowing the spread of COVID-19.  These measures include testing and mask-wearing, which are particularly important strategies to limit the spread of COVID-19 from asymptomatic and pre-symptomatic individuals, as well as self-quarantining and self-isolating.  But vaccination is the most important measure for reducing the risk of COVID-19 transmission and for avoiding severe illness, hospitalization, and death.

Substantial efforts are being made to increase vaccination rates across the globe.  The availability of COVID-19 vaccines is rising, and over 6 billion doses have been administered globally.  As of October 24, 2021, 29 countries have a COVID-19 vaccination rate higher than 70 percent, many countries are making efforts to encourage COVID-19 vaccination for their populations, and some countries are considering or adding proof of vaccination requirements as conditions for entry.  Many low-income countries continue to have limited vaccine availability, but the United States is leading a global effort to donate hundreds of millions of vaccine doses where they are needed the most.

In light of these facts and circumstances, I have determined that it is in the interests of the United States to move away from the country-by-country restrictions previously applied during the COVID-19 pandemic and to adopt an air travel policy that relies primarily on vaccination to advance the safe resumption of international air travel to the United States.  This proclamation governs the entry into the United States of noncitizen nonimmigrants — that is, noncitizens who are visiting the United States or otherwise being admitted temporarily — traveling to the United States by air.  It suspends the entry of unvaccinated noncitizen nonimmigrants, except in limited circumstances, and it ensures that the entry of unvaccinated noncitizen nonimmigrants is consistent with applicable health and safety determinations made by the Director of the CDC, including a requirement that, where appropriate, such individuals agree and arrange to become fully vaccinated against COVID-19 upon their arrival.  My Administration has also taken action, apart from this proclamation, to ensure that noncitizen immigrants are vaccinated prior to air travel to the United States. Together, these policies aim to limit the risk that COVID-19, including variants of the virus that causes COVID-19, is introduced, transmitted, and spread into and throughout the United States, potentially overwhelming United States healthcare and public health resources, endangering the health and safety of the American people, and threatening the security of our civil aviation system.  Given the resumption of air travel as worldwide restrictions due to the COVID-19 pandemic begin to ease, these policies will, consistent with the measures required by Executive Order 13998 of January 21, 2021 (Promoting COVID-19 Safety in Domestic and International Travel), advance the safety and security of the air traveling public, the government personnel responsible for ensuring the security of air travel, and the millions of individuals employed by the United States air travel industry, as well as their families and communities, while also allowing the domestic and global economy to continue its recovery from the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.

NOW, THEREFORE, I, JOSEPH R. BIDEN JR., President of the United States, by the authority vested in me by the Constitution and the laws of the United States of America, including sections 1182(f) and 1185(a) of title 8, United States Code, and section 301 of title 3, United States Code, hereby find that it is in the interests of the United States to advance the resumption of international travel to the United States, provided necessary health and safety protocols are in place to protect against the further introduction, transmission, and spread of COVID-19 into and throughout the United States.  I further find that vaccination requirements are essential to advance the safe resumption of international travel to the United States and that the unrestricted entry of persons described in section 2 of this proclamation would, except as provided for in section 3(a) of this proclamation, be detrimental to the interests of the United States, and that their entry should be subject to certain restrictions, limitations, and exceptions.  I therefore hereby proclaim the following:

Section 1.  Revocation of Country-Specific Suspensions and Limitations on Entry.  Proclamation 9984 of January 31, 2020 (Suspension of Entry as Immigrants and Nonimmigrants of Persons Who Pose a Risk of Transmitting 2019 Novel Coronavirus and Other Appropriate Measures To Address This Risk), Proclamation 9992 of February 29, 2020 (Suspension of Entry as Immigrants and Nonimmigrants of Certain Additional Persons Who Pose a Risk of Transmitting 2019 Novel Coronavirus), Proclamation 10143 of January 25, 2021 (Suspension of Entry as Immigrants and Nonimmigrants of Certain Additional Persons Who Pose a Risk of Transmitting Coronavirus Disease 2019), and Proclamation 10199 of April 30, 2021 (Suspension of Entry as Nonimmigrants of Certain Additional Persons Who Pose a Risk of Transmitting Coronavirus Disease 2019), are revoked.

Sec. 2.  Global Suspension and Limitation on Entry of Certain Individuals Who Are Not Fully Vaccinated Against COVID-19.  (a)  The entry into the United States by air travel of noncitizens who are nonimmigrants and who are not fully vaccinated against COVID-19 is suspended and limited, except as provided in section 3 of this proclamation.  This suspension and limitation on entry applies only to air travelers to the United States and does not affect visa issuance.      (b)  Any noncitizen who is a nonimmigrant, who is not fully vaccinated against COVID-19, and who, notwithstanding section 2(a) of this proclamation, is permitted to enter the United States by air travel pursuant to section 3(b) of this proclamation must agree to comply with applicable public health precautions established by the Director of the CDC to protect against the public health risk posed by travelers entering into the United States.  Such precautions may be related to vaccination, testing, mask-wearing, self-quarantine, and self-isolation, as determined by the Director of the CDC, and may include requirements that individuals:           (i)    provide proof of pre-departure testing for COVID-19, as determined by the Director of the CDC;           (ii)   take precautions during air travel to protect against the further introduction, transmission, and spread of COVID-19, including by wearing a face mask, as determined by the Director of the CDC;           (iii)  provide proof of having arranged for post-arrival testing for COVID-19, as determined by the Director of the CDC; and           (iv)   provide proof of having arranged to self-quarantine or self-isolate after arriving in the United States, as determined by the Director of the CDC.      (c)  Any noncitizen who is a nonimmigrant, who is not fully vaccinated against COVID-19, and who, notwithstanding section 2(a) of this proclamation, is permitted to enter the United States by air travel pursuant to section 3(b) of this proclamation must agree to become fully vaccinated against COVID-19 within 60 days of arriving in the United States, within some other timeframe as determined by the Director of the CDC, or as soon as medically appropriate as determined by the Director of the CDC, and must provide proof of having arranged to become fully vaccinated against COVID-19 after arriving in the United States, unless:           (i)    the noncitizen’s intended stay is sufficiently brief, as determined by the Director of the CDC;           (ii)   the noncitizen is one for whom, given their age, requiring vaccination would be inappropriate, as determined by the Director of the CDC;           (iii)  the noncitizen has participated or is participating in certain clinical trials for COVID-19 vaccination, as determined by the Director of the CDC;           (iv)   COVID-19 vaccination is medically contraindicated for the noncitizen, as determined by the Director of the CDC;           (v)    the noncitizen is described in section 3(b)(i) or 3(b)(ii) of this proclamation and has previously received a COVID-19 vaccine that is authorized or approved by the noncitizen’s country of nationality, as determined by the Director of the CDC, in consultation with the Secretary of State; or (vi)   the Director of the CDC otherwise determines that COVID-19 vaccination is not warranted for the noncitizen.

Sec. 3.  Scope of Suspension and Limitation on Entry.  (a)  The suspension and limitations on entry in section 2 of this proclamation shall not apply to any noncitizen seeking entry as a crew member of an airline or other aircraft operator if such crew member or operator adheres to all industry standard protocols for the prevention of COVID-19, as set forth in relevant guidance for crew member health issued by the CDC or by the Federal Aviation Administration in coordination with the CDC.      (b)  The suspension and limitations on entry in section 2(a) of this proclamation shall not apply to:           (i)     any noncitizen seeking entry into or transiting the United States pursuant to one of the following nonimmigrant visa classifications:  A-1, A-2, C-2, C-3 (as a foreign government official or immediate family member of an official), E-1 (as an employee of TECRO or TECO or the employee’s immediate family members), G-1, G-2, G-3, G-4, NATO-1 through NATO-4, or NATO-6 (or seeking to enter as a nonimmigrant in one of those NATO classifications);           (ii)    any noncitizen whose travel falls within the scope of section 11 of the United Nations Headquarters Agreement or who is traveling pursuant to United States legal obligation (as evidenced by a letter of invitation from the United Nations or other documentation showing the purpose of such travel);           (iii)   any noncitizen for whom, given their age, requiring vaccination would be inappropriate, as determined by the Director of the CDC, taking into account global vaccine availability for individuals in that age group;           (iv)    any noncitizen who has participated or is participating in certain clinical trials for COVID-19 vaccination, as determined by the Director of the CDC;           (v)     any noncitizen for whom accepted COVID-19 vaccination is medically contraindicated, as determined by the Director of the CDC;           (vi)    any noncitizen who has been granted an exception by the Director of the CDC for humanitarian or emergency reasons, as determined by the Director of the CDC;           (vii)   any noncitizen who is a citizen of a foreign country where the availability of COVID-19 vaccination is limited, as identified pursuant to section 4(a)(v) of this proclamation, and who seeks to enter the United States pursuant to a nonimmigrant visa, except for a B-1 or B-2 visa;           (viii) any noncitizen who is a member of the United States Armed Forces or who is a spouse or child of a member of the United States Armed Forces;            (xi) any noncitizen seeking entry as a sea crew member traveling pursuant to a C-1 and D nonimmigrant visa, if such crew member adheres to all industry standard protocols for the prevention of COVID-19, as set forth in relevant guidance for crew member health by the CDC; or(x)     any noncitizen or group of noncitizens whose entry would be in the national interest, as determined by the Secretary of State, the Secretary of Transportation, the Secretary of Homeland Security, or their designees.     

Sec. 4.  Implementation and Enforcement.  (a)  The Secretary of Health and Human Services, through the Director of the CDC, shall implement this proclamation as it applies to the public health through such procedures as may be established, and consistent with the CDC’s independent public health judgment, including by:           (i)    defining and specifying accepted COVID-19 vaccines or combinations of accepted COVID-19 vaccines, and medical contraindications to accepted COVID-19 vaccines or combinations of accepted COVID-19 vaccines, for purposes of this proclamation;           (ii)   defining whether an individual is fully vaccinated against COVID-19, and specifying acceptable methods of proving that an individual is fully vaccinated against COVID-19, for purposes of this proclamation;           (iii)  specifying acceptable methods of proving that an individual has arranged to comply with applicable public health requirements and protocols to protect against the further introduction, transmission, and spread of COVID-19 into and throughout the United States, including pre-departure testing, post-arrival testing, post-arrival self-quarantine or self-isolation, and post-arrival vaccination against COVID-19, for purposes of this proclamation;           (iv)   determining whether certain persons qualify as participants in certain clinical trials for COVID-19 vaccination, for purposes of this proclamation;           (v)    maintaining a list of countries where the availability of COVID-19 vaccination is limited, with such countries defined as those where less than 10 percent of the country’s total population has been fully vaccinated with any available COVID-19 vaccine or are otherwise determined by the Director of the CDC to qualify as countries where the availability of COVID-19 vaccination is limited; and           (vi)   establishing other public health measures consistent with this proclamation to protect against the further introduction, transmission, and spread of COVID-19 into and throughout the United States by persons described in section 2 of this proclamation.                     (b)  The Secretary of Transportation and the Secretary of Homeland Security shall take steps to ensure that airlines do not permit noncitizens barred from entry pursuant to this proclamation to board an aircraft traveling to the United States, to the extent permitted by law.                     (c)  Executive departments and agencies shall implement this proclamation, as appropriate and consistent with applicable law, in accordance with such procedures as they may establish.                     (d)  The Secretary of State, the Secretary of Transportation, and the Secretary of Homeland Security shall review any regulations, orders, guidance documents, policies, and any other similar agency actions developed pursuant to Proclamations 9984, 9992, 10143, and 10199 and, as appropriate, shall consider revising or revoking these agency actions consistent with the policy set forth in this proclamation.                     (e)  Nothing in this proclamation shall be construed to affect any individual’s eligibility for asylum, withholding of removal, or protection under the regulations issued pursuant to the legislation implementing the Convention Against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment, consistent with the laws and regulations of the United States.                     (f)  Nothing in this proclamation shall be construed to limit the CDC’s authority to impose public health requirements and protocols, including on individuals who are fully vaccinated against COVID-19, individuals covered by this proclamation, or individuals not covered by this proclamation, such as United States citizens, lawful permanent residents, or noncitizens traveling on immigrant visas.

Sec. 5.  Termination.  This proclamation shall remain in effect until terminated by the President.  The Secretary of Health and Human Services shall, as circumstances warrant and no more than 60 days after the date of this proclamation and by the final day of each calendar month thereafter, recommend whether the President should continue, modify, or terminate this proclamation.

Sec. 6.  Effective Date.  This proclamation is effective at 12:01 a.m. eastern standard time on November 8, 2021.  This proclamation does not apply to persons aboard a flight scheduled to arrive in the United States that departed prior to 12:01 a.m. eastern standard time on November 8, 2021.

Sec. 7.  Severability.  It is the policy of the United States to enforce this proclamation to the maximum extent possible to advance the national security, public safety, and foreign policy interests of the United States.  Accordingly, if any provision of this proclamation, or the application of any provision to any person or circumstance, is held to be invalid, the remainder of this proclamation and the application of its provisions to any other persons or circumstances shall not be affected thereby.

Sec. 8.  General Provisions.  (a)  Nothing in this proclamation shall be construed to impair or otherwise affect:           (i)   the authority granted by law to an executive department or agency, or the head thereof; or           (ii)  the functions of the Director of the Office of Management and Budget relating to budgetary, administrative, or legislative proposals.                     (b)  This proclamation shall be implemented consistent with applicable law and subject to the availability of appropriations.                     (c)  This proclamation is not intended to, and does not, create any right or benefit, substantive or procedural, enforceable at law or in equity by any party against the United States, its departments, agencies, or entities, its officers, employees, or agents, or any other person.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this twenty-fifth day of October, in the year of our Lord two thousand twenty-one, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and forty-sixth.

JOSEPH R. BIDEN JR.

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'No point in getting irate, the queue will still be there': International tourists arrive to long lines

A rush of international travelers headed into the United States Monday as the COVID-19 travel ban ended and people from dozens of countries begin flooding in, more than 600 days since they were barred from entry.

That's more than 86 weeks. Nearly 20 months. Enough time for grandchildren to be born , or for couples to lose track of the number of nights they fell asleep to  FaceTime calls  with their partner. Long enough to lose hope in a U.S. vacation or honeymoon after having to delay plans over and over. 

Lines began forming at the Canada and Mexico borders well before daybreak, and eager travelers boarded flights from Europe, including dueling departures from London's Heathrow airport. The U.S.-Mexico border is typically the world's busiest border crossing, with about 350 million people crossing annually.

► US drops travel ban Nov. 8: Expect bottlenecks at airports under strict entry rules

►Vacation travel: Hawaii opening for fully vaccinated international travelers, but some virus restrictions linger

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The new U.S. entry requirements require foreign air passengers to test negative for the coronavirus before boarding a plane to the country and, if they are 18 or older , show proof of full vaccination. Travelers entering the U.S. on land or by ferry for nonessential reasons must show proof of vaccination. Although federal officials had warned of the potential for long lines at entry points, there seemed to be few delays as visitors arrived by land and air.

It's a long-awaited moment for travelers from more than 30 countries. The U.S. initiated its first COVID-19-related travel ban on China in February 2020 . By the end of March, it had added travel bans on the United Kingdom , Ireland, Iran  and 26 countries in the European Schengen Area . Brazil, India and South Africa were later added to the list.

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Federal officials warned of delays: 'No staff around to help'

The smooth sailing for international travelers at JFK Airport ended Monday afternoon as arrivals ramped up after a relatively quiet morning. Passengers arriving from England on Virgin Atlantic reported lines of up to two hours to clear Customs and Border Protection processing due to the arrival of multiple flights from the United Kingdom. CBP officials had warned lines would grow from recent levels given the return of international passengers. 

Paul Richards, the 58-year-old head of safeguarding for Stoke City F.C., arrived on a Virgin Atlantic flight from London at 3:35 p.m. ET for vacation and to celebrate his son's 21st birthday. He ultimately waited about two hours before being cleared into the country.

"No point in getting irate, the queue will still be there,'' he said as he waited.

Marc Evans, a 42-year-old police officer, flew from Manchester, England, with his wife and two children to visit family for the first time in 20 months, ultimately waiting more than an hour.

"It was apparently a PR stunt to show the USA was back open but seems they weren't concerned about the queues at customs," Evans said via Twitter message, noting that they have a friend waiting to pick them up at the airport.

Evans said he was frustrated as his family has been told to wait as other families with children have been able to jump the queue. There are "no staff around to help," he said.

But the problem extends beyond a pesky wait, according to Evans. "Other people were getting connecting flights and told to stay in line," he said.

— Morgan Hines, Dawn Gilbertson, USA TODAY

'What happens here, only happens here': McCarran welcomes tourists

When the first U.K. passengers arrived in Las Vegas on Monday afternoon, McCarran International Airport made sure to give them a "fabulous Las Vegas welcome," complete with waving showgirls as the plane taxied to its gate and free T-shirts and hats promoting the city's new slogan, "What happens here, only happens here."

Karl Watson, 37, of London plans to spend his week in Nevada visiting national parks and watching a Bryan Adams performance. But his first stop? A bar.

"First of all, I'm going to get really drunk," he said. 

Watson said getting through customs and security was a long process, with the lines taking more than an hour to get through, but the Las Vegas airport was still "buzzing" with excitement when the plane landed. 

"Everyone on the plane was cheering when the plane landed," Watson said. "Usually when people clap I'm like, shut up, you don't do that when a bus parks. But this time, it was exciting. It was really cool."

"It's just such a fun place. Vegas never stops," added Ann Kirk, 64 of Birmingham, England who landed in Las Vegas with her husband Mark.

The two plan to spend five weeks in the U.S., but that's nothing compared to two- or three-month vacations they used to take before the travel ban. The couple usually spends most of their time at a home they own in Lake Havasu City in Arizona, and already have their next visit planned for February. 

"It's the warmth. The heat. The sunshine," Mark Kirk, 62, said.  

"We've really missed it," Ann Kirk added.

— Bailey Schulz, USA TODAY

Changes affect most air travelers

Arriving at Hartsfield-Jackson's Atlanta International Airport from Korea, Seongbin Woo, 26, said his travel experience for his first U.S. visit was "not that smooth," largely because he had to rush to get test results back before departing Seoul. Although Korean nationals were not banned from travel to the U.S., anyone arriving as of Monday must follow new protocols, including showing proof of vaccination.

"I heard that everyone here is not wearing masks, so it's good for me because I am tired of masks," he said. He added he is still concerned about getting sick.

Ivana Pedroso, 30, tearily reunited with her parents as they arrived from Sao Paulo, Brazil. Pedroso lives in Greensboro, North Carolina, where she's a graduate student at North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University. She had been able to visit Brazil several times, but this is the first time her parents will see the house she bought.

"It's great. Exciting. I have been waiting for this moment for two years because she doesn't know my house," Pedroso said. "They don't know where I live. So I've been waiting for this moment for two years."

Pedroso said her parents will stay for her graduation in December, on a trip they've been rescheduling for two frustrating years. Her parents said the flights and border control checks went smoothly, and they were confident they would be safe.

"She was a little bit nervous, but since they followed the protocols and all the companies, Delta Airlines and the airport followed the protocols with COVID, everything was OK," Pedroso said of her mom. "Sanitizers and masks all the time. They're good."

Waiting for "my guy," Deb Halleck, 61, wore a Manchester United jersey waiting for Stephen Donnelly to arrive in Atlanta from England via Amsterdam. Wearing a similar jersey, Donnelly strode through the terminal and swept her into a hug that seemed to make time stop. The two had been friends for years but this summer realized they wanted more.

"We've just been friends and recently, more than that, so just excited," Halleck said moments before he arrived. "I can't wait."

Since July, they've talked on the phone every day and FaceTimed. Every week they make dinner together, long distance, and share a meal. Donnelly also buys her flowers and takes a picture and sends them to her weekly. Donnelly, 62, said the mood was apprehensive on the plane due to the new rules, but was happy to finally be in the U.S. with Halleck.

What are their plans now? "She's in charge. I just go with the flow," Donnelly said.

By late afternoon the arrivals terminal at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport began filling with loved ones awaiting passengers on a string of flights from cities like Amsterdam, Frankfurt and London, along with other places not previously banned.

All eyes were either staring down the corridor at the sliding doors coming from customs or glued to their phones. Locals eagerly checked to see how much longer it would take for their family, friends and significant others to make it through customs.

One woman remained dedicated to holding up a sign that said  #HappyMama while another family, whose kids had been holding up "Welcome Home" signs set them down, sitting in the floor to wait. They had waited this long. What's a little longer?

— Eve Chen, USA TODAY

Romance reignited and 'already have Disneyland booked'

At LAX, the happy emotions ran the gamut — hugs and kisses, laughter and tears — when Damia Suuck, 20, of Claremont, California, saw her German boyfriend, Eric Reuschel, 19, for the first time in almost a year as he came off the plane from Frankfurt.

"We were waiting, waiting. We booked so many tickets," said Suuck, who was waiting at LAX with her mother, Fadia Suuck. 

Damia Suuck, who has German and American citizenship, was able to visit her boyfriend in Germany last Christmas, but Monday was the first day he could visit the U.S. They began dating about two years ago when she was living briefly in Germany. 

"We haven't seen each other in almost 12 months, so to meet again, I can't explain it. It's crazy," said Reuschel. 

Their plans for Reuschel's one-month visit?

"We already have Disneyland booked. That was No. 1," Damia Suuck said.

— Bill Keveney, USA TODAY

Scattered delays create a 'stressful' experience

Julien Yomtov of Paris said he faced several frustrating delays leaving France – first at security and then again when the plane's departure was delayed an hour. He said he's excited to get back to Las Vegas, traveling via Los Angeles, to play in the World Series of Poker, which he normally does annually with his brother.

"The experience was stressful because the employees are (not) ready to welcome so many travelers," he told USA TODAY via Whatsapp. "Hope in LAX it will be easier."

Although Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport is one of the busiest airports in the world, the international terminal's arrival hall on Monday, which was almost tranquil and relatively empty through early afternoon. Many fellow passengers made connections to other cities, and those who made Atlanta their final destination described their trips as smooth and even "better than before."

— Bailey Schulz, Eve Chen, USA TODAY

Trip delayed four times

In Los Angeles, Jan Hutten tiptoed up to his sister-in-law Jeannette Gross for a surprise hug, kicking off a family reunion three years in the waiting. His wife Henny followed with a hug of her own, grasping her sister as the Huttens arrived from Amsterdam for a three-week visit. The two had tried to visit four times previously, but had to keep rescheduling due to the ongoing travel ban.

Gross and her son, Gary Loth live in Valencia, north of Los Angeles, and will be taking the Huttens for sushi and Mexican food in sunny Los Angeles — a welcome change from the rainy weather they left behind.

"Fantastic! Finally," Henny Hutten said in Dutch, her native language, when asked how it felt to get together with her sister after having to settle for Skype calls in the three years since they last saw each other.

"I'm very happy to see her," Gross said, adding they usually get together once a year. The separation "was very painful, not being able to hug her. We Skyped, but it's not the same."

Henny Hutten offered a one-word response when asked about the sibling separation: "Terrible!"

The Huttens were supposed to visit in April 2020 to celebrate Gross's retirement. That was the first COVID-related postponement. After more reservations and cancellations, Gross quickly texted her sister when the Nov. 8 opening was announced.

"I said, ‘Change your flight. We're opening up.' She did. She got right on the ball," Gross said.

Families begin to reunite: 'Everything is so exciting'

Simone Thies of Cologne, Germany, is flying in to see her fiancé, who she has seen just twice since the ban began-- once during a trip to Aruba in June, and again when he visited her in Germany in August. Before those trips, they had been separated a year. Thies stayed overnight in a Düsseldorf hotel near the airport before catching her Delta flight, headed ultimately to Lincoln, Nebraska.

"I want to avoid stress because everything is so exciting," she said.

Getting through the line at the Düsseldorf airport was quick — "5 minutes at most," she said — but she had one more stop in Paris before crossing the Atlantic.

There, she had to show her passport, proof of vaccination and results of her negative coronavirus test. Even as the first person in line, the wait took about 20 minutes because one employee was still learning which documents to check, she said.

"The line is very long, but (I'm) done for now," she said before departing.

Alan Marques said the border closure for tourists nearly ended his relationship with his boyfriend, who is a flight attendant. They've been together four years, but hadn't seen each other in four months, until Marques, 33, flew in from Sao Paulo to Atlanta on Monday. He said the separation has been "very difficult and distressing," because his boyfriend's visits to Brazil have only been for a few hours, instead of the days they are used to.

How does it feel to be properly reunited? "So good," he said.

Mexico border busy ... then quiet

After a busy few hours after midnight ET at the El Paso-Ciudad Juárez border crossing in Texas, the normally bustling border crossing fell quiet. Traffic was minimal at crossings between El Paso and Ciudad Juárez and passenger vehicles zipped up the El Paso's Bridge of the Americas freely, no line to stop them.

"I've sold hardly anything," said newspaper salesman José Fierro, whose rack was still filled with El Diario newspapers and PM tabloids at 8 a.m. He had been there on the curb since 3 a.m., he said. There was 6 a.m. traffic, then nothing. "Everyone crossed yesterday, panicked about how the lines were going to be today."

Constantino Castellanos, 68, and his wife, Lizbeth, 62, bought quesadillas at the foot of the Bridge of the Americas, a street vendor handing over a Styrofoam tray wrapped in plastic.

They could take their time. The bridge – usually a wall of slow-moving cars and trucks – was an empty ribbon of asphalt. The border had been closed to tourists or people visiting family, although a wide variety of essential workers had been permitted to cross during the closure. During  that time, Mexican nationals holding tourist cards were banned from traveling over the land border; air travel between points in the interior of both countries never ceased.

"It's been two years," said Lizbeth Castellanos. "We're going to Marshalls and Walmart."

The crossing reopened at just after midnight Eastern time. At 6 a.m. Eastern, U.S. Customs and Border Protection reported no significant crossing delays at either the Mexico or Canada borders.

Susana Hernández of Juárez was crossing for the first time since the pandemic restrictions to buy clothes in El Paso for her business. She smiled and flashed her vaccine card.

"We're happy," she said. "We're home, we feel like we're back home."

Cross-border traffic of essential travelers between El Paso and Juárez reached nearly 800,000 crossings of passenger vehicles in August, according to the Border Region Modeling Project at the University of Texas at El Paso. 

"Nobody anticipated that this pandemic would last as long as it has, in terms of travel restrictions," said Hector Mancha, U.S. Customs and Border Protection director of field operations in El Paso. "People have not crossed over and visited with family in going on two years... Unfortunately, the pandemic has kept us from (reopening). I think it's overdue." 

— Lauren Villagran, Martha Pskowski ,  El Paso Times  

'Welcome back world'

Times Square was relatively quiet Monday morning as the city that never sleeps prepared to welcome vaccinated international tourists back to the U.S. 

Around 8:45 a.m., the Times Square Alliance unfurled a "Welcome Back World" sign on the Red Steps in Times Square. 

The Steps, considered an iconic New York landmark for tourists, had about 190,000 people walk by them each day before the pandemic, according to the Times Square Alliance, the not-for-profit group that maintains it. At the pandemic's worst, that number dropped to 30,000, and New York businesses hope the flood of tourists will boost their finances.

TJ Witham, the vice president of communications for the Times Square Alliance, told USA TODAY the alliance chose the red steps as it is an "iconic meeting place" for people visiting the Big Apple. 

Chris Dickson, a 41-year-old bus scheduler from Newcastle, England, flew to New York City on Monday for 48 hours, using credit from a British Airways trip he'd had to cancel seven months ago.

Dickson planned to drop his bag at his Brooklyn hotel and start exploring the city he last visited more than two years ago.

"I just wanted to come to America at the first opportunity,'' he said. "I'm going to walk across the Brooklyn Bridge, I'm going to go through Central Park, I'm going to do some running, some jogging in that area. I'm just going to enjoy the weather and enjoy being back in America.''

Mainda Kiwelu, 45, arrived in New York on the second British Airways flight of the day. She said this was her first trip to the U.S. in about five or six years, and was hoping to visit the Brooklyn Bridge and Central Park later this week, after work meetings.

"The flight was ok," Kiwelu said. "It was just a bit nerve-wracking sort of doing all the logistics for the travel and making sure the vaccination certificate, app, everything works."

Dueling takeoffs from London to New York

A pair of simultaneous flights left London's Heathrow airport early Monday morning, taking off on parallel runways and following similar flight paths for New York's JFK International Airport. British Airways Flight 1 and Virgin Atlantic Flight 3 took off at 3:51 a.m. ET and landed within minutes of each other. The airlines are rivals but teamed up to commemorate the reopening of foreign travel to the U.S., and British Airways' CEO was aboard his company's flight, which touched down about 11 a.m. ET

American Airlines, which is a BA travel partner, saw bookings from London to US surge 70 percent in the past week, with a lot of the travel for remainder of 2021, said Chief Revenue Officer Vasu Raja.

Clive Wartten, who runs a business-travel group in the UK, arrived on the British Airways flight and was headed for a run in Central Park before meetings with colleagues. Wartten planned to fly home Tuesday night.

"It just feels good to be back on an airplane," he said. "There was a real buzz at the airport and aboard the aircraft, lots of cheering when we took off. It was a bit of a holiday party flight."

Wartten, who is the CEO of the Business Travel Association, later tweeted that he made it from the plane to one of New York's famed yellow taxis in just seven minutes.

"This is a big step for us to come back and open business travel with our US friends," he told USA TODAY while passing through the terminal.

British Airways CEO Sean Doyle  has been pushing the Biden administration to ease travel restrictions between the UK and the US for months because it is one of the busiest travel corridors in the world. At one point during the spring, he said, the second runway at Heathrow was closed because the airport hadn't seen such a limited number of flights since World War II.

"This has been a crisis like no other,'' he said Monday after arriving in New York.

Doyle believes the border reopening took too long – the UK and European Union started welcoming US tourists back over the summer – but on Monday said he didn't want to dwell on the past. Instead, he gushed about what the reopening means to British Airways and its passengers.

"The North Atlantic is very important to British Airways and today's a very, very important turning point and milestone in the future of the country,'' he said.

Is he worried travel restrictions could return if COVID cases spike on either side of the Atlantic? 

"You always have to keep an eye on things,'' he said. "But I do think that we're seeing a sort of pragmatic framework emerge across a number of jurisdictions.''

He said he hopes that that framework – basing entry requirements on vaccination and testing – remains despite any COVID trends going forward.

— Dawn Gilbertson, Morgan Hines, USA TODAY

Anticipation at airports

Ahead of the British Airways first flight arrival, family members waited in the Terminal 7 arrivals area at New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport, which is decked out with balloons and New York symbols including the back half of a taxicab filled with a floral arrangement and NYC-themed cookies. 

Louise Erebara, from Danbury, Connecticut, arrived at the airport with her family early to welcome her sister and her sister's husband after 730 days apart. 

"It's everything, we can't thank British Airways enough," a choked-up Erebara said, noting the airline paid for her relatives' flight. "They want to reunite ex-pats and they're doing it." 

In Atlanta, Ari Bell, waited anxiously for her fiancé to arrive from the UK after 21 months apart. They've bridged the distance with Snapchat, video calls and texts, and she was waiting to surprise him at the airport as he starts a three-week visit that will include his first-ever Thanksgiving.

"He actually came over for a quick job interview in February, right before the shutdown, got back to London and then that March, everything closed up. So we've just kind of been hanging on a string," Bell said. "It was a little bit confusing to get him here, just because he didn't know he needed a negative (test) so that three days prior we actually had to make that last minute. And he came back negative. He's already fully vaccinated. I'm vaccinated. I got my booster yesterday, just in case — I'm just excited to see him."

Bell said she's excited to just watch a movie together — for months, they've been watching movies simultaneously but separated by the Atlantic Ocean.

"We're homebodies. We like to game together. But yeah, that's mostly what we're looking forward to — just being in the same space together," she said. "This is going to be our first Thanksgiving together, his first Thanksgiving period. He's never celebrated. So we're actually gonna make the big meal and have all my family come over. He's a little nervous. But you know, he loves my dad. They're both ex-army. So they get along great."

And Rosa Chorra, 37, eagerly awaited her parents' arrival from Spain, waiting with her 10-month-old Aurora for their plane to land in Atland. Chorra's parents missed her pregnancy and granddaughter's birth, although Chorra was able to take Aurora to visit them three months ago. She said she missed having the help they could have provided with a newborn.

"It was absolutely horrible. I think it's been the hardest time of my life. I mean, when she was born, the first months that are the hardest, and it's been tough," Chorra said.

— Dawn Gilbertson, Morgan Hines, Eve Chen, USA TODAY

Headed to Disney World

For UK resident Emma Barbour and her family, the border reopening means one thing: Florida's Disney World with their 10-year-old daughter.

They usually come annually, but put those plans on hold after 2019, and rescheduled this trip three times as they waited for the Biden administration to lift the ban. Barbour, 41, said the airports were busy but staff seemed cheerful despite long lines.

"We honestly wouldn't travel if we felt unsafe or nervous, we are fully vaccinated and will wear our masks. I definitely won't let it tarnish our time there by worrying about it," she said from Paris as they waited to board their Atlanta-bound flight.

The British are coming

Sam Nagy and his family are headed to Florida, to the Universal Orlando Resort, their first trip to the U.S. since 2018. He said lines at the Manchester, England, airport were smooth, raising his hopes for the family vacation they've rescheduled four times already.

"That once-a-year trip is so much more to us than just a vacation, it honestly feels like it's ‘home' as cliché as that may be to say," said Nagy.

Paul Richards is flying from London to New York on Virgin Atlantic and described the airport scene as chaotic, with long check-in lines this morning. He is headed to New York City for vacation to celebrate his son's 21st birthday.

"They are working really hard to get people through, however, some passengers hadn't completed the attestation forms or just stood in the wrong queue,'' he said. "Once through check in, security was pretty slick.''

— Dawn Gilbertson, USA TODAY

Lines at the Canada-US border

At th Sweetgrass, Montana, border crossing, wait times climbed to 240 minutes -- four hours — according to U.S. Customs and Border Protection. Normal wait time is about 45 minutes.

Windsor, Ontario, Mayor Drew Dilkens said a Canadian travel requirement – having negative polymerase chain reaction test that can cost $200 – is likely to prevent many who want to drive from Ontario to Michigan from doing so.

He explained the testing provision doesn't make sense for day-trippers nor does it provide the kind of health assurance the government thinks it does because someone could easily contract the virus during their visit.

He wants to see that requirement lifted.

— Frank Witsil, Detroit Free Press

How did the international travel ban start?

The travel ban barred most foreign nationals who had been in the listed countries in the past 14 days from entering the U.S., regardless of vaccination status. The country also cut off nonessential travel across the U.S. land borders with Mexico and Canada  in March 2020. 

It wasn't until September  that the White House announced that it would end the travel ban for fully vaccinated travelers – months after many other nations  reopened to U.S. tourists. 

The new U.S. entry requirements, which went into effect Monday, require foreign air passengers to test negative for the virus before boarding a plane to the country and, if they are 18 or older , show proof of full vaccination. Travelers entering the U.S. on land or by ferry for nonessential reasons also need to show proof of vaccination. 

As airports and border crossings get adjusted to the new travel rules, international travelers should prepare for lines .

The first flight from a country listed the travel ban is set to fly into Chicago from Dublin just before 7 a.m. CT, according to flight tracker Flight Aware and flight-data firm OAG.

Plenty more will follow; there are more than 2 million international flights scheduled to arrive in the U.S. next month, compared to just 728,820 in December of 2020, according to OAG and Flight Aware.

► US drops travel ban: Expect bottlenecks at airports under strict entry rules

• Stand Up for Free Enterprise

U.S. Chamber Applauds Lift of Non-Essential Travel Ban

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Chamber of Commerce Vice President of Immigration Policy Jon Baselice released the following statement today on the amended DHS regulations to allow non-essential travelers who have been fully vaccinated for COVID-19 and have appropriate paperwork to enter the U.S.:

October 13, 2021

“The Chamber welcomes the Biden Administration’s plans to allow fully vaccinated ‘non-essential’ travelers to enter the U.S. from both Canada and Mexico through our land ports and ferry crossings. However, for border communities, the label ‘non-essential’ is wrong: jobs across a host of trades depend on the flow of travelers across our shared borders, and this shift will allow long separated families to reunite after many months apart. Safely lifting these travel bans will help struggling communities get back on their feet.”

• Immigration

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International travel ban ends as borders open to visitors from dozens of countries

Airlines report strong international bookings from travelers who are eager to reunite with loved ones.

From Dublin, Sao Paolo, Brussels, London and other cities around the world, international visitors spilled into U.S. airports Monday in joyous celebrations that marked the end of a pandemic-related travel ban that kept them separated from loved ones for more than 18 months.

“On behalf of the U.S. travel industry: WELCOME,” the U.S. Travel Association said in a tweet Monday morning. “Today marks a monumental and long-awaited day for travelers, long-separated friends and family who can now safely reunite with loved ones.”

The end of a 33-nation ban that kept most non-U.S. citizens out of the country took on a celebratory air Monday, throwing a lifeline to an industry seeking to rebound from the pandemic. It sparked reunions at international airports across the country, but comes as U.S. airlines — which have seen a surge in demand from domestic leisure travelers — are struggling to overcome staffing shortages ahead of the busy travel holiday season. The United States also lifted travel restrictions on land borders, a move that allows fully vaccinated individuals to enter the country from Canada and Mexico. Previously only those whose travel was deemed essential and could show proof of vaccination could enter the United States via land crossing.

Earlier this month, American Airlines angered passengers after it canceled nearly 2,000 flights, citing staffing shortages and bad weather at its Dallas-Fort Worth hub. Southwest Airlines reported losing more than $75 million after it was forced to cancel more than 2,000 flights in October.

Scheduling meltdowns that began amid a summer travel boom have left passengers and observers questioning whether the industry is equipped to handle a continuing rise in passenger levels — and the added responsibilities of screening a growing number of international visitors.

Under the new requirements, airlines are responsible for verifying travelers’ vaccination statuses and ensuring negative coronavirus test results for those who are exempt from mandates. Carriers say they are prepared for the new responsibilities, adding that measures they have put into place — including digital tools that allow travelers to upload coronavirus test results and verify vaccinations — will smooth travel for customers. Several international airports also offer on-site testing, making it easier for travelers to meet U.S. testing requirements.

“Today marks a significant milestone in the progress of worldwide recovery from the covid-19 pandemic,” said Nicholas E. Calio, president of airline trade group Airlines for America.

Henry Harteveldt, an industry analyst and co-founder of Atmosphere Research Group , said carriers will be able to handle the growth in international visitors without too much additional strain.

“For one thing, they do have the pilots and flight attendants trained and ready, though granted, they may need to bring more back,” he said. “The airlines are also not over-scheduling their long-haul route networks yet.”

Officials with U.S. Customs and Border Protection, which handles international arrivals, said they were making preparations to handle the rise in visitors and were working to add staffing at key entry points. The agency warned that travelers should expect longer lines this week as those eager to reunite with family and friends begin to arrive in the United States.

Even so, it appeared that Monday’s reopening went relatively smoothly for airports across the country. Andrew C. Gobeil, a spokesman for Atlanta’s Hartsfield-Jackson airport, the nation’s busiest airport and the world’s busiest before the coronavirus pandemic, said operations were normal Monday.

In a statement, Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro N. Mayorkas hailed the reopening as “a critical step to resuming normal travel.”

International travel ban to end for those who have been vaccinated and tested negative for covid-19

The day was filled with elation in the United States and elsewhere, including an unlikely partnership of competitors.

Rival carriers British Airways and Virgin Atlantic timed departures from parallel runways at London’s Heathrow Airport to have the first flights filled with previously barred travelers land stateside. Both flights arrived at New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport and passengers were greeted by balloons and cheers as they exited the plane.

“Today is a time for celebration, not rivalry,” Shai Weiss, chief executive of Virgin Atlantic, said in statement.

At Dulles International Airport outside the nation’s capital, travelers reunited with grandchildren in the terminal or hustled out to see girlfriends and fiances waiting anxiously in cars idling at the curb.

Army officer Ben Bennett, 40, holding a rose and a Stars and Stripes balloon, waited for a girlfriend he had met while serving in Germany during the pandemic.

“I’m super excited to have her here,” Bennett said, on his feet and watching the arrival door.

He said they were planning to go to Florida and visit Disney World. But the wait dragged on while his girlfriend went through customs in a line she estimated at 300 people.

Bennett took a seat, eyes flitting from his phone to the door. Then, she was there. They embraced.

The travel ban’s lifting — which brought similar reunion scenes to international airports across the country Monday — has been a boost for the travel industry, both in the United States and abroad. Carriers on both sides of the Atlantic pushed for more than a year to end restrictions and repeatedly expressed frustration that U.S. borders remained closed , even as other countries opened to vaccinated Americans this summer.

But all of that was forgotten as the industry counted down the days for the ban to lift.

U.S. to lift travel ban on travelers from 33 countries

“While we have seen many countries reopen their borders to American visitors over the summer, our international customers have not been able to fly with us or visit the U.S.," Ed Bastian, Delta’s chief executive, said in a statement. “All of that changes now.”

Under the new policy, most visitors from Europe, China, Brazil, India and South Africa can come to the United States as long as they show proof of vaccination and a negative coronavirus test. Children under 18 are not required to show proof of vaccination, but must be tested before they board flights.

Delta Air Lines said that in the six weeks after the Biden administration’s September announcement that it was lifting the travel restrictions, it saw a 450 percent increase in international bookings. American Airlines said demand from London’s Heathrow Airport and Brazil for this week were about 70 percent higher than the previous week.

United Airlines said bookings for transatlantic travel for November exceeded 2019 levels for the first time since the pandemic began.

The carrier’s first international flight of the day, from Dublin, touched down at Newark Liberty International Airport at 11:30 a.m., one of 33 scheduled United flights to arrive Monday in the United States. Of those, more than a half-dozen from countries previously covered by the ban were scheduled to land at Dulles.

Even as domestic travel began to recover this spring and some business travel resumed, many in the travel industry had said a full recovery wouldn’t be possible until the U.S. ended its ban on travelers from the 33 countries.

While carriers had been operating flights from several of the countries included in the ban, many seats that previously were empty suddenly were occupied Monday. Delta said many of its international flights were expected to be full, with high passenger volumes continuing for weeks.

The reopening, while welcome, may not be completely trouble-free, some caution.

“No one is expecting this to go without a hitch,” Harteveldt said. “We are only as good as the data and everyone is prepared for a stop-and-start environment, whether it’s their country or the U.S. If covid cases increase beyond a certain level or vaccine rates don’t reach a certain level, you know that borders may be closed again.”

But those worries were far from the minds of those at Dulles, who waited anxiously for glimpses of their loved ones.

Maureen Watkins, 64, tearfully scooped up one of her two granddaughters and marveled at how they had grown since she saw them early last year.

“Gosh you’re heavy,” said Watkins who had arrived from London. Once it was clear the restrictions would lift, Watkins said she knew she wanted to be on the first flight.

“Every bit of me is just shaking with emotion,” Watkins said, as her son, Elliott, daughter-in-law, Chloe, and their daughters Isla, 4, and Elsie, 2, gathered in the arrivals area.

Maureen Watkins said she plans to stay for two months. Chloe Watkins said the plan is to “eat, drink and be merry.”

Editor’s note: A photo cutline was changed to remove a traveler’s last name.

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The U.S. restricts travel from 8 countries as omicron variant spreads

Travelers exit the International Arrivals area at Dulles International Airport in Dulles, Virginia, on Monday. The Biden administration is banning travel for non-U.S. citizens from several African countries over concerns about the omicron variant. Jim Watson/AFP via Getty Images hide caption

Travelers exit the International Arrivals area at Dulles International Airport in Dulles, Virginia, on Monday. The Biden administration is banning travel for non-U.S. citizens from several African countries over concerns about the omicron variant.

The U.S. is enacting travel bans in an effort to limit the spread of the new omicron variant of the coronavirus, which the World Health Organization warns poses a "very high" global risk .

Coronavirus Updates

As omicron spreads, studies suggest that travel bans alone don't do much good.

Starting Monday, President Biden has imposed travel restrictions for non-U.S. citizens from the following eight countries:

• South Africa

The Coronavirus Crisis

Biden says omicron variant is cause for concern but not panic.

The European Union , Canada, United Kingdom, and Israel have announced travel restrictions from southern African countries as well.

Some health officials and public health experts caution that travel restrictions alone may not be effective in controlling the spread of infectious disease , and could even have harmful effects, like exacerbating xenophobia and deterring countries from being transparent about the state of the virus in the future.

The variant was first reported last week in South Africa, where vaccination rates are about 24% .

Cases of the omicron variant have since been confirmed in Botswana, the United Kingdom, Italy, Germany, Belgium, Israel, the Netherlands, Australia and Hong Kong.

Biden is encouraging children and adults to get vaccinated against COVID-19.

"This pandemic will not end until we have global vaccinations," he said last week in a statement .

In an address on Monday, he said the variant is "a cause for concern — not a cause for panic."

Tien Le is an intern on NPR's News Desk.

This story originally appeared on the Morning Edition live blog .

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By Meg Wagner , Brian Ries and Veronica Rocha , CNN

BREAKING: Supreme Court upholds the Trump travel ban

The Supreme Court has  upheld the legality  of the latest version of President Trump’s travel ban holding that  the President was within his authority  when he blocked travel from certain Muslim Majority countries.

The ruling was 5-4 along partisan lines, with Chief Justice John Roberts writing for the conservative majority.

We're reading through it and gathering reactions here .

House Republicans aren't sure what's going on with their party's immigration plan

CNN's Lauren Fox and Maeve O'Brien

Walking into the House Republican closed-door conference this morning, members are genuinely unsure what is going on with the Republican compromise bill . 

Rep. Steve Stivers, the head of the GOP's congressional campaign arm, told CNN that he's not sure what will happen next.

Rep. Mark Walker said the point of conference is to see if it makes sense to add E-Verify and a guest worker amendment. ( Read more about that amendment here. )

Rep. Leonard Lance, a New Jersey moderate, said he has concerns about adding the amendment so last minute. Lance was already in the fence about the underlying bill. 

An important reminder: The bill is expected to fail.

What it's like to legally represent a 6-year-old who's crying over the phone for her father

A managing attorney at RAICES, the legal non-profit that's representing immigrants affected by President Trump's "zero-tolerance" immigration policy, just told CNN's Poppy Harlow what it's like to represent young children who have been separated from their parents.

"It is very challenging to deal with someone so tender-aged who's so scared in this system," Mayra Jimenez said. She described a system used by the group's attorneys “to provide very complicated legal information in a very basic way.”

Jimenez added that there are thousands of families that don't have representation, but badly need it.

"There is no right to court appointed council in immigration proceedings," she told CNN . "There are thousands of families, of kids...who are completely unrepresented because they do not have the resources to get council."

Congresswoman who visited detained children has a message for President Trump: "Not on our watch"

Rep. Jackie Speier, a Democrat from California, visited the border over the weekend, touring a US Customs Border Protection Facility on Saturday and meeting detained children .

Now, she has a message for President Trump :

"Not on our watch. Not on our watch will we stand by and allow you to rip children from the arms of their parents. Not on our watch will we allow you to stop on the constitution you swore to uphold."

Speier went on to list actions she'd like to see the President take, including...

• Rescinding the "zero-tolerance" policy.
• Providing reunification for families that have already been separated.
• Finding and using the least costly and least restively confinement.

Watch more:

House Republican are still working on an immigration bill. It will probably fail.

From CNN's Phil Mattingly

The House GOP’s broader immigration bill has completely fallen apart. We’ve reported it will fail. At this point, it looks like it will fail badly .

But we're still expecting the House to vote on it: That could happen on Wednesday, but the day is not firm. The Timeline and decision making for the bill will finalized in this morning’s closed-door conference meeting.

What's changed since yesterday: Republicans posted a 116-page amendment to the bill late last night, encompassing changes and additions to the bill on E-Verify and agriculture worker visas. These were the issues negotiated over the weekend. But note: The amendment does not mean they are any closer to the votes — it may not even be considered, aides say. 

What happens next: House GOP leaders still want to pivot to a targeted family separation bill before they leave for recess at the end of that week. They will discuss that this morning at their conference meeting as well to see if there’s a path forward there.

Senate efforts to move on a targeted bill are not advancing quickly. There is still a push to do something this week, but if anything happens (and this remains, at least on a bipartisan basis, still somewhat unlikely at this point, aides say), it’s far more likely it will be after he July 4 recess.

Commander of Texas facility for migrant children says family separation is an "incredibly dumb stupid decision"

From CNN's Dianne Gallagher

An incident commander of a tent city for migrant children in Tornillo, Texas , called the Trump administration's practice of separating children and parents at the border "an incredibly dumb stupid decision."

“Look, this operation would not be here if it weren’t for the separation," said the commander, who did not want to identified.

The facility houses 326 children, 26 of them were separated from their parents at the border under the administration's "zero-tolerance" policy. Three children have been reunited with their family.

The commander, who works for BCFS Health and Human Services, a nonprofit that operates the facility, oversees operations at the tent facility . He said he thinks the facility will likely close by July 13 because the numbers of children are going down daily.

The administration opened the  temporary shelter  in June on federal land to accommodate the influx of children. The shelter consists of what an HHS spokesman called "soft-sided structures" resembling tents equipped with air-conditioning to withstand the high temperatures.

Homeland Security seeking to house thousands of unaccompanied children and families on 2 Texas bases

From CNN's Barbara Starr

The Department of Homeland Security will ask the Pentagon this week to approve proposed plans to potentially house more than 7,000 unaccompanied children at Goodfellow Air Force Base and 4,000 additional migrant family members at Fort Bliss in Texas, according to an administration official.

The plan must be signed off by Defense Secretary James Mattis. The official emphasized these are planning numbers, and it’s not yet clear those numbers of people will actually need to be housed.

Mattis confirmed earlier Monday that Fort Bliss and Goodfellow Air Force base in Texas will be used to house migrants. Mattis would not offer any specifics and said that the military is not involved in the political aspect of the matter, saying “for us, it is a logistics support effort.”

After Mattis approves the DHS plan , the Pentagon will hire contractors to build temporary structures, including some that could be tents. Bliss is expected to be all tents, and Goodfellow may have a combination of tents and hardened structures.

The official noted it could be another four to six weeks before either base would have facilities built and have contractors on site to handles services such as food, and medical care. There is still significant discussion inside the administration about how to house such large numbers of migrants, including children the official said.

If unaccompanied children are housed on the installations, the Department of Health and Human Services would control those operations.

New lawsuit challenges family separations in Washington

From CNN's Laura Jarrett

An immigrant rights group in Seattle has filed a new lawsuit against the Trump administration seeking to reunite three parents with their children and represent a class of those in similar situations.

The complaint says that the parents entered the US seeking asylum with their children, ages 5, 8, and 6, and were separated in May 2018. The parents were then transferred to an immigration detention in Washington, and have not been allowed to visit their children since that time, according to the complaint. 

The group asked the judge for an order that would force Trump administration officials to immediately reunite the parents with their children in a facility, where they may remain together. They are also seeking interviews for their asylum claims.

New York governor pledges to help migrant children who are sent to his state

From CNN’s Lauren del Valle

New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo pledged Monday to support unaccompanied and undocumented children who are sent to his state.

Cuomo says he is requesting that the Department Health and Human Services notify the state when it sends children so they can offer assistance. He said the Department of Health and Human Services told him that 1,292 unaccompanied minors are currently being cared for in New York. 

However, Cuomo went on to say that this information is “not comprehensive and remains unverified,” according to a news release from his office.

Cuomo said the state will provide public safety and other resources to families.

State departments will also help foster care agencies with children until they can be reunited with their parents, he said.

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Banned From Russian Airspace, U.S. Airlines Look to Restrict Competitors

Because of the war in Ukraine, U.S. carriers have to take the long way on flights to and from Asia, giving an advantage to foreign rivals flying the same routes.

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By Kate Kelly and Mark Walker

WASHINGTON — Unable to fly through Russian airspace because of the war in Ukraine, U.S. airlines are stepping up a lobbying campaign on Capitol Hill and at the White House to address what they say is a growing problem: They are losing business to foreign competitors who can take passengers between the United States and Asia faster and more cheaply.

Effectively banned from the polar routes that save time and fuel between the United States and an array of destinations on the other side of the world, U.S. carriers say they are being forced into an aeronautical version of Twister to get passengers where they want to go without taking undue risks.

They have altered trans-Pacific flight plans to ensure they would have somewhere to land in an emergency, reduced passenger and cargo loads to hold down costs as they fly longer distances, and put on hold more than a dozen planned new routes to Mumbai, Tokyo, Seoul and other cities.

On its route from New Delhi to New York City, American Airlines has been forced to stop flights in Bangor, Maine — an hour and a half short of the mark — on 19 occasions, a person familiar with the recent history said. Those stops, which were typically caused by unfavorable winds or weather that depleted the jet fuel supply and ran out the flight crew’s duty hours, delayed passengers and forced a swap-out of 14 pilots and flight attendants.

Those flights were already operating with dozens of the seats deliberately left unfilled, the person added, because less weight on board was required to make the fuel last as long as possible.

Yet many foreign airlines are not banned from flying over Russia, U.S. airlines and their lobbyists say — and are winning more passengers on routes to and from the United States as a result. Continued access to the shorter and more fuel-efficient routes that Russian airspace provides is giving carriers like Air India, Emirates and China Eastern Airlines an unfair advantage, the industry lobbying group Airlines for America said in a recent presentation on Capitol Hill.

Airlines for America estimated the lost annual market share of U.S. carriers at a collective $2 billion per year.

“Foreign airlines using Russian airspace on flights to and from the U.S. are gaining a significant competitive advantage over U.S. carriers in major markets, including China and India,” the presentation, dated February, said. “This situation is directly to the benefit of foreign airlines and at the expense of the United States as a whole, with fewer connections to key markets, fewer high paying airline jobs” and a dent in the overall economy.

U.S. airlines for years had access to Russian airspace through a series of agreements with Moscow. In exchange for that access, they — and other foreign airlines — paid fees to the Russian government for air traffic control support that amounted to hundreds of millions of dollars per year, according to an airline official and an industry advocate.

But after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine last year prompted government officials in the United States, Britain, Canada and Europe to ban Russian aircraft from flying over their airspace, President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia immediately prohibited the United States and other supporters of Ukraine, including Canada and much of Europe, from flying through his skies.

Now airlines are pressing the White House and Congress to fix the problem by subjecting foreign carriers from nations not already banned from Russian airspace to the same restrictions applied to U.S. airlines, effectively forcing them to fly the same routes as their American competitors.

The Biden administration should “take action to ensure that foreign carriers overflying Russia do not depart, land or transit through U.S. airports,” said Marli Collier, an Airlines for America spokeswoman.

The proposal appears to have gained traction with the Transportation Department, which recently drafted an order that would ban Chinese carriers that fly passengers to the United States from flying through Russian airspace, according to three people who were briefed on the order. The order was presented to a group of Biden administration officials, including members of the national security team, on Monday, two of those people said, and has been under consideration this week along with other proposed policy measures.

Transportation Department officials declined to comment. But national security officials are mindful of the potential diplomatic consequences of steps aimed at a longtime ally like India, or of adding further tension to the already strained relationship with China.

A spokesperson at the State Department, which is involved in an interagency government review of the airspace issues, said the department was aware of the concerns and regards the safety of U.S. citizens on foreign soil as a top priority.

“It’s just unfortunate for our air carriers that this has been a collateral issue,” said Manisha Singh, a former assistant secretary for the bureau of economic and business affairs at the State Department who now runs a consulting firm in Washington. “I think we should do anything we can,” she added, noting that the United States should “be careful” before taking steps that might offend foreign countries and affect U.S. tourism and commerce as a result.

Representatives for Delta, American, and United Airlines, the domestic carriers most involved in the lobbying effort, referred questions to Airlines for America, which praised a recent letter by Senate Foreign Relations Committee members to Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken and Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg echoing the group’s talking points.

“When foreign airlines overfly Russian territory, even if they do not expect to land on Russian soil, they run the risk of unplanned diversions in Russia for safety, medical, mechanical or more nefarious reasons,” wrote Senator Bob Menendez, Democrat of New Jersey, the panel’s chairman, and Senator Jim Risch of Idaho, its senior Republican. The State and Transportation Departments have not yet responded to the letter, according to someone who has been briefed on the exchange.

Representatives for Air India declined to comment, and representatives for Emirates and China Eastern did not respond to requests for comment.

Arjun Garg, a former chief counsel and acting deputy administrator of the Federal Aviation Administration, said the Biden administration has the legal authority to remedy the complaints from U.S. carriers.

Mr. Garg said both the safety concerns the airlines have flagged and the way in which the current regulations have disadvantaged them are serious dilemmas.

“The foreign air carriers get the benefit of shorter flight times, lower costs, less fuel consumption, all those kinds of advantages that are shut off for U.S. carriers by order of the U.S. government,” Mr. Garg said.

At a time when U.S. fliers are already fed up with fundamental issues like cramped seats, flight cancellations and a cascade of service fees, access to Russian airspace may not be the most pressing worry. Depending on winds, air traffic and other factors on any given day, on a 14-hour flight, avoiding Russian airspace can mean less than an hour of extra flying time in some cases. But it can also mean more than two hours.

But the cost differential is notable. As of Wednesday, the outbound leg of an April round-trip journey from New York’s Kennedy Airport to New Delhi’s Indira Gandhi Airport cost about $1,500 and was estimated at 13 hours and 40 minutes on Air India, according to Travelocity. The most comparable flight on a U.S. carrier: a $1,740 American Airlines trip with estimated flying time of 14 hours and 55 minutes.

But Airlines for America and the major carriers it represents are also highlighting security concerns for Americans who fly over Russia, even on foreign airlines. And history suggests there is cause for anxiety.

In 2014, a Malaysia Airlines flight was shot down over Ukraine , killing 298 people. A Dutch court later convicted, in absentia, two Russian separatists and a pro-Russia Ukrainian with murder.

In 2021, a Ryanair flight from Greece to Lithuania was diverted to Belarus , a close Kremlin ally, after officials in that country alerted air traffic controllers to a supposed bomb threat on the plane. Their true purpose, U.S. prosecutors said , was to arrest a dissident journalist who was a passenger by inventing a false safety issue. (The journalist, Roman Protasevich, was recently put on trial in Belarus, and the officials who the Justice Department says organized the diversion have been indicted in the United States and charged with conspiracy to commit airline piracy.)

Last year, the American basketball star Brittney Griner was detained at an airport near Moscow and later sentenced to nine years in a penal colony for carrying vape cartridges of hashish oil in her luggage. She was freed in December .

There are also operational challenges stemming from the longer routes being flown by U.S. carriers.

Delta Air Lines has redrawn trans-Pacific flight maps repeatedly to comply with both U.S. regulations and the Russian overflight ban, according to internal documents and two people familiar with the changes.

F.A.A. rules require that for long flights, commercial planes must always be within 180 minutes of a suitable airport in case an emergency landing is needed (with certain aircraft, which Delta flies, it can stretch to 207 minutes).

But without access to Russia as an emergency stop, Delta’s Detroit-to-Shanghai flights are now being forced to fly near obscure Pacific landmasses like Shemya Island southwest of Alaska. And if the tiny Shemya airport is too full to handle an emergency landing, Delta pilots must divert to an even farther-flung airport like the one on Midway Atoll in the middle of the Pacific, these people said — adding up to an hour and 40 minutes and more than 3,000 gallons of fuel to the journey when the closer stops are not available.

“You can sometimes think of it as a little bit of an obstacle course,” said Jim Higgins, an aviation professor at the University of North Dakota who flew as a commercial pilot for seven years. Federal regulation around emergency landings, while well-intentioned, he added, “does increase the operational complexity.”

Hari Kumar contributed reporting from New Delhi, and Keith Bradsher from Beijing. Li You contributed research.

Kate Kelly covers money, influence, and policy as a correspondent in the Washington bureau of the Times. Before that, she spent twenty years covering Wall Street deals, key players and their intersection with politics. She is the author of three books, including "The Education of Brett Kavanaugh." More about Kate Kelly

Mark Walker is an investigative reporter in the Washington bureau. He was part of a team that won a Pulitzer Prize for its coverage of Covid-19 in 2020. He grew up in Savannah, Ga., and graduated from Fort Valley State University. More about Mark Walker

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