Overview
- Reporting and a DHS official say ICE arrests at U.S. airports have risen sharply, to roughly 20–40 detentions per day in recent weeks.
- Journalists and a FOIA disclosure show TSA shares advance passenger records with ICE, allowing officers to screen travelers at checkpoints, gates and jetways.
- Immigration lawyers say many detained people had expired visas while awaiting applications or extensions, a group traditionally treated as lawfully present.
- Airlines and their trade group are in talks with TSA and ICE about procedures, and lawmakers have introduced the No TSA Data for ICE Act to bar the data sharing.
- The practice traces to a May 2025 TSA-ICE memorandum released this summer, and advocates warn the approach is creating fear of travel, legal uncertainty, and possible oversight or litigation.