- ICE agents are arresting travelers at airports regardless of pending applications or valid work permits as of July 2026.
- A 2025 agreement allows TSA to share passenger flight data with ICE to flag immigration status violations.
- Enforcement has intensified with ICE averaging 2,000 daily arrests supported by a seventy-five billion dollar budget.
As of July 2026, attorneys say ICE agents are arresting travelers at U.S. airports over expired visas, pending immigration cases and work authorization, including people traveling with valid documents. The reported arrests involve spouses awaiting green card interviews, H-1B workers with timely filed extensions, DACA recipients awaiting renewals and asylum seekers with employment authorization.
The arrests have occurred at check-in counters, arrival gates and during connecting flights, attorneys say. The cases include travelers who expected their pending filings or employment documents to protect them from enforcement.
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On July 28, ICE addressed arrests at Denver and Nashville airports, saying that a work authorization document or an asylum case does not create immigration status. The agency said:
"A 'work permit' and/or a pending asylum case does NOT confer any type of legal status in the United States or prevent ICE from arresting or deporting an illegal alien from the country."
The Department of Homeland Security described the airport operations as a response to travelers who are in the country unlawfully. A DHS spokesperson said July 29:
"DHS reversed the horrendous Biden-era policy that allowed aliens in our country illegally to jet around our country. Under President Trump, DHS will no longer tolerate this. 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."
The arrests have now been confirmed at no fewer than 15 major airports. They include Atlanta, Chicago, Denver, Las Vegas, Nashville and Boston.
Two July 14 arrests illustrate the range of cases
Lorenzo Thompson, a Southwest Airlines flight attendant and Jamaican citizen, was arrested July 14 at Nashville International Airport. He had a pending asylum application and a valid work permit.
Phu Nguyen, a 57-year-old traveler, was detained at LAX the same day after overstaying a 2013 visa. Bystanders at an earlier stop in Las Vegas had tried to prevent his arrest.
The reported cases span more than one immigration category. Spouses of U.S. citizens awaiting green card interviews, skilled H-1B workers with timely filed extensions and DACA recipients with delayed renewals have all been identified as high-risk groups.
Asylum applicants with employment authorization also appear among the people attorneys say agents are targeting. A Valid Work Permit can authorize employment, but ICE says it does not by itself prevent arrest or removal.
TSA passenger data now feeds ICE screening
A May 2025 Memorandum of Agreement between TSA and ICE provides the operational framework for airport screening. Under the agreement, TSA can share Secure Flight passenger data with ICE.
ICE uses that information to flag travelers whose visas have been overstayed or whose immigration status is not current. The arrangement turns routine flight-security information into a potential enforcement lead.
Legal experts have described the airport checkpoint as a “mousetrap,” arguing that information supplied for flight safety can help the government locate travelers. Plainclothes ICE agents have also been deployed at TSA checkpoints since February 2026, under a justification tied to staffing shortages.
TSA official Ha Nguyen McNeill confirmed the cooperation during testimony before the House Homeland Security Committee on January 21, 2026. She said:
“We are supporting the mission of our colleagues at the Department of Homeland Security, and that includes enforcement of immigration laws.”
Funding expanded the agency’s enforcement capacity
The “One Big Beautiful Bill Act” (H.R. 1), signed into law on July 4, 2025, provided nearly $75 billion for ICE enforcement and detention.
That amount effectively tripled the agency’s budget. The expanded resources come as detention and arrest activity rises.
As of July 11, 2026, ICE held 65,765 individuals in detention. The agency is averaging approximately 1,500 to 2,000 arrests per day.
DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin previewed the tougher approach during a July 17, 2026, news conference. He said:
“We’re turning up the heat on the streets. the ICE crackdown will intensify.”
A pending case may not stop an airport arrest
The reported enforcement marks a departure from long-standing practice in which people with pending immigration applications were generally considered to be in a “period of authorized stay.” That treatment did not necessarily grant immigration status, and the agency now emphasizes the distinction.
A Pending Application therefore does not automatically shield a traveler from arrest. The same applies to someone whose Expired Visa has left the person with an overstay, even when another filing remains under review.
The effect can vary with the underlying case, the person’s history and the documents involved. Travelers facing this situation should have an immigration attorney review their records before attempting air travel, particularly when a filing, renewal or extension remains unresolved.
The DHS newsroom and ICE newsroom publish agency statements and enforcement announcements. USCIS materials, including its Policy Manual, address immigration procedures and agency policy.
This article provides general information and is not legal advice. Consult a qualified immigration attorney about your specific case.
