Federal agents with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement arrested more than 800 travelers at American airports between January 2025 and February 2026, according to internal ICE data reviewed by Reuters. The arrests happened at major hubs, including Los Angeles International Airport, Atlanta’s Hartsfield-Jackson, and New York’s LaGuardia and JFK terminals. Officials confirmed the operation runs under a data-sharing deal between the Transportation Security Administration and ICE. Advocacy groups first warned travelers about the risk back in December 2025.
How TSA-ICE Data Sharing Works
The Transportation Security Administration handed ICE records on more than 31,000 travelers during that period. Reuters could not confirm exactly how many arrests happened inside terminals. But the tips reportedly helped agents pinpoint when a targeted person would fly.
The system behind it all is called Secure Flight. TSA built it in 2007 purely for counterterrorism watchlist checks. Now it doubles as an immigration enforcement tool, a shift the ACLU says strays far from its original purpose.
Real Incidents, Real Numbers
On July 20, 2026, agents pulled a Southwest Airlines passenger, Ecuadorian national Chantal Alejandra Morales Rojas, off a jetway at Denver International Airport before she could board a flight to Oakland, per NomadLawyer. ABC News separately confirmed at least 27 airport arrests tied to visa overstays across nine states, citing an internal memo.
Roughly 40% to 50% of those detained in some regions had zero criminal record, per VisaVerge. Most were flagged for overstayed visas or final removal orders instead.
Pushback Grows in Congress
Anger followed fast. More than 40 House Democrats have demanded the administration pull ICE agents from airport checkpoints entirely, Reuters reported.
Immigration attorneys now warn clients that “routine air travel has turned into a legal status audit,” according to ABC News. A related social media embed showing protest footage from JFK’s Terminal 4 will appear alongside this story.