The federal government's escalating use of airports as immigration enforcement zones has entered a new and more aggressive phase.
Immigration officers are now averaging 20 to 40 arrests per day at airports, compared with fewer than 10 a day in May 2025, a senior DHS official said.
ICE officers have more than doubled arrests at airports nationwide since the effort began last summer, according to a senior Department of Homeland Security official who spoke to NBC News.
The dramatic escalation has sent shockwaves through immigrant communities and prompted urgent advisories from immigration attorneys across the country.
How It Works: The TSA-ICE Data Pipeline
At the heart of the enforcement expansion is a formal data-sharing agreement between TSA and ICE.
The Memorandum of Agreement (MOA), signed in May 2025, was produced after the watchdog group American Oversight sued TSA and ICE under the Freedom of Information Act for failing to release records about the arrangement.
The agreement outlines "the terms, conditions, and safeguards under which ICE and TSA will share information."
The MOA states that TSA "intends to share the data elements specified" in the agreement's appendices — though those appendices were almost entirely redacted in the version furnished to American Oversight.
Since 2025, TSA and ICE, which are both housed within the Department of Homeland Security, have had an information-sharing agreement that allows both agencies access to Mobile Fortify, a powerful AI-powered facial recognition tool.
Immigration attorney Rosanna Berardi told ABC News that the method itself is what has changed.
"ICE is working with TSA and targeting people at check-in counters and gates, sidestepping the warrants and surveillance operations used in the past," she said. "There is no investigation or no home visit involved. It's simply a name match at a checkpoint."
Who Is Being Targeted?
The enforcement dragnet extends well beyond individuals with final removal orders.
The Trump administration is ramping up immigration-related detentions at airports nationwide as part of what appears to be a new push targeting foreign nationals who have overstayed their visas.
Berardi warned that "routine air travel has turned into a legal status audit for millions of foreign national visa holders and green card applicants," adding that "airports are becoming a new enforcement zone for people who have been living in the U.S. lawfully, holding valid work permits, complying with immigration law, but still in pending status awaiting their green cards."
According to Rep. Rashida Tlaib's office, ICE agents are targeting immigrants in the process of changing status, including those waiting for visa extensions, with employment authorization documents, or recently married to a U.S. citizen.
The reported cases paint a troubling picture.
Among those arrested last month were a Cameroonian researcher at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore — a Fulbright scholar — and a University of Maryland instructor from Ethiopia who was detained as he returned from a conference where he accepted a Teacher of the Year award.
Operations have been concentrated in at least 15 airports, where people from more than twelve countries have been arrested, including spouses of U.S. citizens and workers in the technology sector.
The Legal Backdrop: Expedited Removal Goes Nationwide
The surge in airport enforcement has been accelerated by a critical legal development.
On June 23, 2026, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit ruled that the Department of Homeland Security may continue enforcing its expanded expedited removal policy nationwide.
A divided three-judge panel threw out a lower court decision that had temporarily blocked the expanded use of expedited removal — a ruling seen as a big victory for the administration, which views the expansion as a key tool for carrying out its mass deportation policy.
The ruling means ICE can now use expedited removal against any undocumented immigrant anywhere in the country — not just at the border.
Under the policy, noncitizens have the burden to carry documents confirming immigration status and/or at least two years of continuous presence in the country to avoid expedited removal.
Obama-appointed Circuit Judge Robert Wilkins dissented, arguing the policy deprives people of due process rights. In part, he wrote that the policy doesn't require immigration officials to ask migrants how long they have been in the country, or inform them of the two-year rule.
Airlines Push Back
The airport enforcement campaign has generated friction with the aviation industry.
A U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent trying to board a Southwest Airlines flight in Dallas was reportedly stopped by a gate agent who demanded a judicial warrant before allowing the agent onto the aircraft.
Following the incident, Southwest said it "has longstanding policies in place to ensure appropriate legal documentation is presented by law enforcement personnel before any information about customers is shared."
Airline industry officials want clarity on the tactics ICE will use, with a clear preference for detaining individuals at TSA checkpoints rather than on planes.
Legislative Response
On August 3, 2026, Rep. Rashida Tlaib introduced the No TSA Data For ICE Act to Congress — a bill that would block the TSA from sharing personally identifiable passenger data with ICE and CBP.
The bill is backed by two dozen House Democrats and has been endorsed by 66 organizations, including the Center for Constitutional Rights, Public Citizen, and the National Immigration Law Center.
However, the bill has little chance of getting a vote in the current Republican-controlled Congress.
The Bigger Picture
The increase comes as the Trump administration ramps up immigration enforcement nationwide, reporting approximately 51,000 ICE arrests in July.
Migration Policy Institute analyst Colleen Putzel-Kavanaugh observed that "the focus is so much on the arrest numbers that the mission seems a little confused to the general public," noting that many of the new arrests catch non-criminals in a legal "gray area," such as having an expired visa while applying for another legal status.
Practical Guidance for Noncitizens
Given the rapidly evolving enforcement landscape, immigration attorneys are urging all noncitizens to take immediate precautions:
- Consult an attorney before traveling by air.
- Carry immigration documents at all times.
- Understand the legal gray areas.
- Know your rights. If approached by ICE at an airport, remain calm, do not provide false information, and request to speak with an attorney before answering questions.
- Have an emergency legal plan. Ensure a trusted contact has copies of your immigration documents and the name of your immigration attorney.
As one assessment put it, for noncitizens with any ambiguity in their immigration status, "flying domestically is no longer a legally neutral act."
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This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. If you or someone you know is affected by these enforcement actions, contact an experienced immigration attorney immediately. ClinchLaw offers consultations on immigration enforcement risks and travel advisories.