Washington D.C.– Immigration agents are escalating efforts to target immigrants by accessing air travel data to track and detain travelers, effectively turning airports into sites of immigration enforcement. As the New York Times reported, through a little-known arrangement between the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) and ICE, passenger information from domestic flights is being shared with immigration agents, who can then snatch people from our airports, even those with various types of status that have protected them from these very actions in the past. It also marks a wider threat to all travelers’ civil liberties, due process and privacy rights.
The program, which began earlier this year without public notice, has already resulted in multiple detentions and rapid deportations, including 19-year-old college student Any Lucía López Belloza who was detained at Boston Logan Airport while attempting to travel home to spend Thanksgiving with her family. Any was deported to Honduras just two days later, despite a court order barring her removal. Additionally, DACA recipient Catalina “Xochitl” Santiago was similarly targeted at the airport while boarding a domestic flight and later detained for weeks despite her valid DACA status. The policy signals a sharp expansion of federal surveillance and coordination to expedite deportations.
In response to this news, United We Dream released the following statement:
“By quietly handing travelers’ information to immigration agents, the government is converting airports into ambush points where students, workers, and families can be detained without warning and stripped of any meaningful chance to defend themselves.”
“This is not about safety or security, it’s about supercharging an unpopular mass deportation agenda that prioritizes cruelty over humanity and due process. The simple act of traveling within the country should not lead to detention and exile. It is disgraceful that young college students like Any Lucía López Belloza, who was trying to return home to see her family for the holidays, can be detained at the gate and deported within days.”
“We’re seeing in real time how extreme deportation quotas are exploiting databases, expanding surveillance, and targeting communities across the country, including many U.S. citizens. United We Dream will not stay silent while the communities who power this country are attacked. We call on Congress to pass permanent protections so immigrant youth and families can travel and live with dignity, instead of fear.”
