Immigration

Airports Are ICE's Latest Target, Raising 4th Amendment Concerns From Airlines

An apparent surge of ICE arrests in airport terminals has created viral videos and questions over ICE's authority to board planes without judicial warrants.

C.J. Ciaramella | 8.12.2026 2:03 PM

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Federal immigration officers have dramatically stepped up the number of arrests inside airport terminals, leading to viral videos, criticism from immigrant rights groups, and pushback from U.S. airlines and airline employee groups.

The New York Times reported on July 28 that the Trump administration was targeting foreign nationals with expired visas as they traveled through airports. The story followed videos showing Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents tackling a Ukrainian woman at San Francisco International Airport and arresting an Ecuadorian au pair in Denver, whose lawyer said she filed a pending application allowing her to stay in the country. In another video, ICE agents attempted to arrest a Vietnamese man at Harry Reid International Airport in Las Vegas on July 13, but retreated as bystanders began to arrive and film the scene, leaving the man with a pair of handcuffs hanging off one of his wrists. A University of Maryland "teacher of the year" was detained on July 21, and a researcher for Baltimore's Johns Hopkins University was detained on July 28 by federal immigration officers while boarding a domestic flight.

Although the........

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