Overview

• The TSA ended its shoe-removal requirement nationwide on July 10, with airports implementing the change immediately rather than in phases
• Officials retain discretion to conduct random shoe inspections under updated multi-layered screening protocols
• DHS credits advancements in shoe-scanning technology alongside reinforced security layers for eliminating the 2006-era rule
• Secretary Kristi Noem forecasts the policy change will cut wait times at checkpoints and improve passenger flow
• The 2006 mandate originated after Richard Reid’s failed 2001 shoe-bomb attack but never uncovered a single explosive device in 23 years