Federal immigration officers have significantly increased arrests inside airport terminals across the United States, raising concerns about ICE's authority and the impact on travelers and airline employees.

The New York Times reported on July 28, 2026, that the Trump administration was targeting foreign nationals with expired visas traveling through airports. Videos have circulated showing ICE agents tackling a Ukrainian woman at San Francisco International Airport and arresting an Ecuadorian au pair in Denver, whose lawyer stated she had a pending application to remain in the country.

Other incidents include an attempted arrest of a Vietnamese man at Harry Reid International Airport in Las Vegas on July 13, 2026, where agents retreated after bystanders began filming, leaving the man with handcuffs loosely attached. Additionally, a University of Maryland "teacher of the year" was detained on July 21, and a Johns Hopkins University researcher was detained on July 28 while boarding a domestic flight.

Although the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has stated that arrestees were in the country illegally, many cases involve immigrants with expired visas who are awaiting adjudication of status change applications. Immigrant rights groups suggest the increase in airport arrests is driven by ICE's efforts to meet a White House daily arrest quota, which recently reached its highest level since President Donald Trump's return to office.

Kelly Rojas, co-director at the Amica Center for Immigrant Rights, told CBS News, "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."

Reports also indicate ICE agents have accessed jet bridges without authorization. One instance cited by Nelson in the Journal involved an agent in Minneapolis boarding a flight "in order to interrogate and threaten removal of a person who criticized their presence in the airport."

DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin stated during his March 2026 confirmation hearings, "a judicial warrant will be used to go into houses, into places of business, unless [agents] are pursuing someone that enters in that place."

The actions by federal enforcement authorities have raised significant workplace, safety, and legal concerns for flight attendants and airline staff.

Sources