ICE Arrests Inside U.S. Airports Intensify Under the Trump Administration

During the summer of 2026, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) markedly increased arrests of foreign-national travelers inside airport terminals. Video-verified incidents include a Ukrainian woman detained at San Francisco International Airport, an Ecuadorian au pair taken in Denver, and a Vietnamese man whose arrest attempt at Harry Reid International Airport in Las Vegas on July 13 was halted by bystanders. A University of Maryland “teacher of the year” was detained on July 21, and a Johns Hopkins University researcher was arrested on July 28 while boarding a domestic flight. By late July, ICE had conducted arrests in airports across nine states, and daily nationwide immigration arrests hovered around 1,600 people—the highest level of President Donald Trump’s second term.

Reason

The New York Times reported on July 28 that the administration was targeting foreign nationals with expired visas as they traveled through airports. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) officials maintain that those arrested were “in the country illegally,” yet immigration law typically treats an expired visa coupled with a pending status-adjustment application as an authorized stay. ICE has cited administrative warrants to enter jet bridges, while DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin clarified during his March confirmation hearings that a judicial warrant is required for homes or businesses unless agents are in “pursuit” of a suspect, leaving considerable discretion for airport operations.

Reason

Airlines 4 America told the Washington Examiner that carriers are holding “constructive discussions” with ICE and the Transportation Security Administration to establish protocols that protect travelers, employees, and agents. Southwest Airlines emphasized its adherence to “applicable state and federal law” and its policy of requiring proper legal documentation before sharing passenger information.

Washington Examiner

Kelly Rojas, co-director of the Amica Center for Immigrant Rights, attributed the escalation to ICE’s pursuit of detention quotas, noting that many detainees are already engaged in legal relief processes. Commentator Billings warned that the administration’s vague carve-out for “pursuit” could enable future abuses by immigration officers.

Reason

• “We think it's because ICE is pursuing detention quotas with regard to underlying eligibility for relief, applications for relief, and also because many of those people are already in the system,” — Kelly Rojas, a co-director at the Amica Center for Immigrant Rights

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• “The actions that federal enforcement authorities have taken in our workplaces have raised glaring workplace, safety and legal concerns for flight attendants,” — Sara Nelson, international president of the union

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• “Given the Trump administration's comfort skirting constitutional and legal lines in the name of mass deportations, however, it's not outside the realm of possibility that Mullin's vague carveout for pursuit could open the door for future abuses by immigration officers,” — Billings

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