ICE Expands Arrests of Illegal Migrants To New Locations
Federal immigration agents are increasing arrests at airports across the country as President Donald Trump’s administration works to accelerate deportations and strengthen enforcement against individuals who have violated immigration law.
Travelers have reportedly been detained at departure gates, on jet bridges and near airport shops as U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement expands operations aimed at reaching the administration’s goal of 2,000 immigration arrests per day.
The strategy is part of a broader effort to identify illegal immigrants, visa overstayers and individuals who have ignored final removal orders. Airports provide authorities with advance passenger information and a controlled setting in which targeted arrests can be conducted using fewer agents.
Earlier this month, a woman was detained at a Washington, D.C.-area airport while traveling to Texas for her father’s funeral, according to attorney Joe Moravec.
Moravec said the woman initially entered the United States legally and has an asylum application pending. She is now being held in Virginia.
The attorney said another client was taken into ICE custody at Chicago’s airport, despite what he described as that individual’s lawful presence in the country.
The cases have prompted immigration attorneys to question whether people with pending applications are now at risk of detention while traveling domestically.
Border czar Tom Homan, however, has repeatedly explained that ICE is prioritizing illegal immigrants with criminal records and individuals who have received final orders of removal but refused to leave the United States.
That category can include foreigners who originally entered legally but later violated the terms of their admission, including those who remained after their visas expired.
A Department of Homeland Security spokesperson defended the policy.
“This administration is working diligently to ensure that aliens in our country illegally can no longer fly unless it is out of our country to self-deport.”
Immigration attorneys say the increased cooperation between ICE and the Transportation Security Administration represents a significant development.
“Not that an airport is a sacred place, but for sure, enforcement at airports is nothing we’ve ever seen, neither is cooperation between TSA and ICE,” Jeff Joseph, president of the American Immigration Lawyers Association, said.
“That’s the mousetrap. That’s the cheese,” he added, referring to immigrants involved in ongoing legal proceedings who may be detained while traveling.
“If the new expectation is that if you have a pending application, you can’t travel … that would be very, very new,” he added.
Airport operations have reportedly taken on greater importance after two fatal shootings involving ICE officers during traffic stops this month—one in Houston and another in Maine.
In both incidents, agents said the suspects attempted to strike officers with their vehicles. Courts have repeatedly recognized that vehicles can be used as deadly weapons when deliberately driven toward law-enforcement personnel.
Conducting arrests inside airports reduces many of those risks.
Through TSA passenger-screening systems, DHS receives traveler information before scheduled flights, enabling authorities to identify individuals of interest and determine precisely where and when they will appear.
Airports also offer secured environments where passengers have already undergone screening and are less likely to possess weapons.
“When you’re under pressure to ramp up arrests, it’s all about what is the fastest and easiest way to get people into custody,” said John Sandweg, who served as acting ICE director during the Obama administration.
“It makes for an easy immigration arrest for ICE,” Sandweg said.
“You can now take custody of that person in a secure environment. They come to you,” he added.
“You know exactly when and where they’re going to be. And because you’re getting them in a secure environment, you need less agents.”
Airport arrests are not entirely new, but immigration advocates say they have become increasingly common as the Trump administration applies existing federal enforcement powers more aggressively.
The policy also highlights a fact often ignored in the immigration debate: entering the United States legally does not provide permanent authorization to remain. Foreign nationals who overstay visas, violate immigration conditions or disregard removal orders can become subject to arrest and deportation.
President Barack Obama’s administration also deported large numbers of illegal immigrants, earning him the nickname “Deporter-in-Chief.” The difference under Trump is a more public and systematic effort to identify removable individuals wherever federal authorities can safely locate them.
For the administration, airports represent an efficient enforcement opportunity. Travelers are identifiable in advance, their movements are predictable and arrests can occur in controlled surroundings with reduced danger to agents and the public.