Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents in plain clothes have detained foreign nationals with expired visas at check-in counters, boarding gates and arrival terminals in at least 15 airports across the United States in recent weeks, according to a report by The New York Times reviewed by multiple news outlets. The arrests mark a significant expansion of the administration's mass deportation campaign, targeting a category of travellers—those whose visas have expired but who may have pending applications or work permits—that was previously not prioritised for enforcement.

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) defended the operations. “This 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,” a DHS spokesperson told CBS News and other outlets. The agency did not confirm whether the airport enforcement programme had been formally expanded. Immigration lawyers, however, described the developments as unprecedented. Charles Kuck, an Atlanta-based attorney, told The New York Times that in 38 years of practice he had never seen such a campaign. “And I know it’s happening to lots of people,” he added. Lawyers in multiple states have advised clients with pending immigration changes to avoid all travel, even domestically.

The arrests stem from an intensified collaboration between the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) and ICE. In May 2025, the two agencies signed an agreement to boost information sharing, according to a memo disclosed by the group American Oversight. ICE sources told CBS News that TSA agents are increasingly providing tips or leads on noncitizen travellers suspected of civil immigration violations, such as visa overstays. Previously, TSA and ICE collaborated mainly on federal criminal offences like drug smuggling and human trafficking. The shift coincides with White House pressure on ICE to achieve about 2,000 immigration arrests per day nationwide, roughly double the rate recorded earlier this year. ICE sources described airports as “easy targets” for boosting arrest numbers, as agents can detain individuals in secured locations after receiving advance information on their cases.

Among those arrested, according to The New York Times and other reports, are a 27-year-old Ecuadorian former au pair, Chantal Morales Rojas, who was detained while boarding a domestic flight despite having a pending immigration application and work authorisation; a Ugandan woman with sickle cell anaemia travelling in a wheelchair who had an active asylum application; and an engineer awaiting a work visa extension. Historically, hundreds of thousands of visitors overstay their visas each year, many remaining in legal limbo while awaiting decisions on renewals or permanent residency. Under the Trump administration, any stay beyond a visa’s expiry is treated as an immigration violation subject to enforcement, removing the previous tolerance for those in the “grey zone” of pending applications. The programme has affected individuals from more than a dozen countries, with immigration lawyers reporting cases involving asylum seekers, spouses of US citizens, and temporary workers. No further expansion of the airport enforcement operation has been formally announced, but the White House has signalled continued pressure on ICE to maintain heightened arrest levels.