ICE Increases Airport Arrests With Tsa's Assistance

WHO:

The Washington Post - The Trump administration, advocates, attorneys, foreign nationals, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), Transportation Security Administration (TSA).

Forbes - Department of Homeland Security (DHS), John Sandweg (former acting director of ICE), American Oversight (non-partisan watchdog organization).

WHAT:

Forbes - The Trump administration is targeting foreign citizens with expired U.S. visas, including spouses of Americans, at airports, with reports of enforcement actions in at least 15 airports in recent weeks.

Forbes - The agreement between TSA and ICE outlines “the terms, conditions, and safeguards under which ICE and TSA will share information,” according to a memo obtained through the Freedom of Information Act by American Oversight.

Forbes - The agreement appears to contradict acting TSA Administrator Ha Nguyen McNeill’s sworn congressional testimony in January that TSA does not “send the information to ICE; we help ICE check against [TSA] information.”

Forbes - DHS sent Forbes a statement virtually identical to one shared in April, blaming President Biden for allowing “aliens in our country illegally to jet around our country” and insisting the Trump 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.”

Forbes - The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) stated that information sharing between ICE and TSA is essential for identifying individuals attempting to travel in the U.S., including violent criminals, to keep the country safe.

Forbes - ICE aims for around 3,000 arrests a day as part of its enforcement actions, reflecting an expansion of the arrangement between TSA and ICE.

Forbes - Some immigration attorneys reported that clients who had entered the U.S. legally and were in the asylum process were among those detained.

Forbes - The agreement between TSA and ICE specifies that TSA intends to share specific data elements outlined in redacted appendices A, B, and C, which were not disclosed in the document provided to American Oversight.

Forbes - The Trump administration is conducting enforcement actions in at least 15 airports, with reports indicating that some arrests have occurred quietly while others were filmed by fellow passengers.

Forbes - John Sandweg, former acting director of ICE under the Obama administration, stated, “This really is different. This is [ICE] mining that TSA data, looking for people flying domestically in order to really just pad those [arrest] stats.”

Forbes - ICE is now targeting foreign travelers who have overstayed their U.S. visas at check-in counters and arrival gates, with reports indicating that some arrests have occurred quietly while others were filmed by fellow passengers.

Forbes - The New York Times reported that the Trump administration is conducting enforcement actions in at least 15 airports in recent weeks.

Forbes - ICE is conducting enforcement actions in at least 15 airports in recent weeks, targeting foreign citizens with expired U.S. visas.

The Washington Post - ICE is ramping up immigration-related detentions at airports nationwide.

Forbes - ICE is arresting foreign citizens with expired U.S. visas, including spouses of Americans, at airports.

Forbes - ICE aims for around 3,000 arrests a day as part of its enforcement actions.

Forbes - TSA provided ICE with tens of thousands of traveler records since Trump returned to the presidency.

Forbes - 1% of non-immigrant visitors overstayed their visas in fiscal year 2024, representing 482,954 people.

WHERE:

The Washington Post - Airports nationwide, including the D.C. area.

Forbes - New York's LaGuardia Airport.

WHEN:

Forbes - A memo of agreement between TSA and ICE was signed in May 2025.

Forbes - The fiscal year 2024 data was reported for the period ending in 2024.

WHY:

Forbes - DHS stated that information sharing between ICE and TSA is essential for identifying individuals attempting to travel in the U.S., including violent criminals, to keep the country safe.

Forbes - The actions are part of President Trump’s deportation agenda.

Forbes - DHS stated that information sharing between ICE and TSA is essential for identifying individuals attempting to travel in the U.S., including violent criminals.

HOW:

Forbes - Plain-clothes ICE agents are increasingly targeting foreign travelers who have overstayed U.S. visas, confronting them at check-in counters and arrival gates, with the New York Times noting “some of the arrests have occurred quietly, while others have happened as angry fellow passengers filmed the encounters.”

Forbes - Plain-clothes ICE agents are increasingly targeting foreign travelers who have overstayed U.S. visas, confronting them at check-in counters and arrival gates.

Forbes - The agreement between TSA and ICE specifies that ICE will share information with TSA to identify individuals of interest, and TSA intends to share specific data elements outlined in redacted appendices.

Forbes - ICE agents are confronting foreign travelers at check-in counters and arrival gates.

Forbes - The agreement between TSA and ICE outlines terms for sharing information to identify individuals of interest to ICE.

(UPDATED July 31, 2026 17:23 UTC)

The Trump administration is ramping up enforcement actions against foreign citizens with expired U.S. visas, including spouses of Americans, at airports, with reports of these actions occurring in at least 15 airports recently. A new agreement between the TSA and ICE outlines how they will share information, which seems to contradict earlier statements made by acting TSA Administrator Ha Nguyen McNeill regarding the agency's role in this process. Meanwhile, plain-clothes ICE agents are increasingly confronting travelers who have overstayed their visas, with some encounters being filmed by fellow passengers.

(UPDATED July 31, 2026 11:43 UTC)

The Trump administration is ramping up enforcement actions against foreign citizens with expired U.S. visas, including spouses of Americans, at airports across the country. The Department of Homeland Security has emphasized the importance of information sharing between ICE and TSA to enhance safety by identifying individuals attempting to travel, including violent criminals, with ICE aiming for around 3,000 arrests each day. Reports indicate that some immigration attorneys are raising concerns about clients in the asylum process being among those detained, as plain-clothes ICE agents confront travelers at check-in counters and arrival gates.

(UPDATED July 31, 2026 07:52 UTC)

The Trump administration is currently conducting enforcement actions at a minimum of 15 airports, with reports of some arrests being made quietly while others were captured on video by fellow passengers. A memo obtained through the Freedom of Information Act reveals that an agreement between TSA and ICE outlines the terms for sharing information, which is deemed essential by the Department of Homeland Security for identifying individuals, including violent criminals, attempting to travel within the U.S. John Sandweg, the former acting director of ICE, remarked that this approach marks a significant shift, as it involves ICE actively mining TSA data to enhance arrest statistics.

(UPDATED July 31, 2026 06:03 UTC)

ICE is now targeting foreign travelers who have overstayed their U.S. visas at check-in counters and arrival gates, with reports of some arrests being made quietly while others were captured on video by fellow passengers. The New York Times has reported that the Trump administration is conducting enforcement actions in at least 15 airports in recent weeks. An agreement between TSA and ICE indicates that TSA will share specific data elements, although the details outlined in the redacted appendices remain undisclosed.

(UPDATED July 31, 2026 01:33 UTC)

ICE has been conducting enforcement actions in at least 15 airports recently, focusing on foreign citizens with expired U.S. visas. This initiative is part of an agreement between TSA and ICE, which allows for the sharing of information to help identify individuals of interest. TSA will also provide specific data elements as outlined in the agreement's redacted appendices.

(UPDATED July 30, 2026 22:25 UTC)

ICE is significantly increasing immigration-related detentions at airports across the country, including New York's LaGuardia and the D.C. area, as part of President Trump’s deportation agenda. The agency is targeting foreign citizens with expired U.S. visas, aiming for around 3,000 arrests a day, and has been provided with tens of thousands of traveler records from the TSA since Trump returned to the presidency. This enforcement action follows a memo of agreement signed in May 2025, which facilitates information sharing between ICE and TSA to help identify individuals attempting to travel within the U.S.