- ICE has expanded enforcement to eighteen hubs through coordination with TSA and major airlines in twenty twenty-six.
- Chicago O’Hare leads with two hundred twenty mentions in arrest data tracking recent immigration enforcement actions.
- Officers are detaining travelers at gates and jet bridges, targeting those with expired visas or pending applications.
Chicago O’Hare was named 220 times in ICE-linked airport arrest data covering Trump’s inauguration through March 10, 2026, while immigration attorneys reported arrests at at least 15 airports in recent weeks.
A separate account put the enforcement footprint at 18 major hubs by July 2026, citing coordination between ICE and TSA. The two figures describe different measures of the airport campaign.
Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport, Nashville International Airport and San Francisco International Airport also feature in recent arrest and detention reports.
The cases involved a researcher, a flight attendant and a traveler detained near a gate. Other reports identified repeated actions at airports in Denver, Los Angeles, Boston, Atlanta, Las Vegas and the New York area.
The New York-area hubs named most often were JFK, Newark and LaGuardia. Bay Area airports also appeared repeatedly in July accounts.
Immigration attorneys said airport arrests had occurred in at least 15 airports. Another account said ICE and TSA coordination had expanded enforcement to 18 major hubs by July 2026.
Recent cases show how airport stops have unfolded
| Airport or region | Reported case or activity |
|---|---|
| O’Hare International Airport | Named 220 times in ICE-linked airport arrest data through March 10, 2026 |
| Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport | Fatima Ameaka, a Johns Hopkins researcher, was arrested on July 31, 2026; DHS said she had overstayed a visa allowing her to remain until June 2024 |
| Nashville International Airport | Lorenzo Thompson, a Southwest Airlines flight attendant and Jamaican citizen, was arrested on July 14, 2026 |
| San Francisco International Airport | Iryna Gorb, a San Francisco resident and Ukrainian national, was detained near gate B7 |
| Washington, D.C.-area airports | An asylum seeker was detained while traveling home to Texas for her father’s funeral, according to attorney Joe Moravec |
| Denver, Los Angeles, Boston, Atlanta, Las Vegas and Bay Area airports | Appeared repeatedly in reported enforcement actions during July 2026 |
| JFK, Newark and LaGuardia | Identified as the New York-area hubs seeing repeated reported activity |
The reports place officers in several parts of terminals, including check-in counters, departure gates, jet bridges, boarding areas and locations near terminal shops. Stops did not occur only at one stage of a journey.
The cases also show different immigration circumstances. Travelers with expired visas were among those stopped, as were some people with pending asylum, green card or visa-extension applications.
DHS says airports are for “self-deporting” travelers
DHS said it had revoked a policy that allowed people in the country illegally to travel domestically by air. The department said those travelers would be permitted to use airports only to “self-deport.”
An ICE source described airport detentions as “one easy way” to pursue the administration’s arrest quota of 2,000 daily arrests.
That approach has brought immigration enforcement into ordinary domestic travel settings. The reported locations include boarding areas and jet bridges, not only international inspection points.
Officials describe a campaign that has more than doubled
A senior DHS official said airport arrests had “more than doubled” since the effort began last summer. The statement provides a measure of growth, while the attorney estimate and ICE-TSA account measure the number of airports involved.
The reported airport list includes major international gateways and domestic connection points. O’Hare’s 220 mentions remain the clearest numerical indicator tied to a specific airport in the available data.
The Baltimore case was reported on July 31, 2026, as accounts described the campaign continuing to expand across major hubs. Ameaka’s stated authorized stay ended in June 2024.
Travelers with pending immigration matters may face case-specific questions when officers stop them during domestic travel. Immigration status, filing history and the applicable jurisdiction can affect the legal analysis.
This article provides general information and is not legal advice. Consult a qualified immigration attorney about your specific case.
