U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement has arrested at least 27 people during a new series of operations at American airports.
The publicly identified cases involve travelers who entered the United States legally but later overstayed their visas, along with people who had pending asylum claims, work permits or applications for permanent residence.
No complete national list has been released, so the real number may be higher. The figure of 27 is the clearest confirmed total available from recent reporting.
Arrests Reported Across Several States
Airport arrests have been reported in California, Colorado, Connecticut, Maryland, Nevada, Tennessee, Texas and Virginia.
Immigration lawyers told The Washington Post that about a dozen people had been detained at airports serving the Washington, D.C., region, including Reagan National, Dulles and Baltimore-Washington International.
At least 11 residents of the San Francisco Bay Area have also reportedly been detained during the wider operation. Some were arrested in California, while others were taken into custody during trips through airports in other states.
Those regional figures may overlap with the national count and should not be added together.
ICE Is Targeting More Than Final Deportation Orders
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Airport enforcement has long included people with final removal orders. The latest operations appear to cover a wider group.
Recent cases include travelers whose visas expired after they entered the country legally. Some had pending asylum cases or authorization to work in the United States.
A pending immigration application does not always prevent arrest. A work permit allows employment for a defined period, but it does not automatically erase a visa overstay or stop removal proceedings.
The New York Times reported that ICE has increasingly used airports to locate people accused of remaining in the country after their authorized stay ended.
Domestic Travelers Are Also Being Detained
The operations are not limited to international flights or people attempting to cross the border.
Agents have reportedly detained travelers near security checkpoints, airline gates and arriving domestic flights. Some officers were working in plain clothes.
Passing through a TSA checkpoint does not confirm lawful immigration status. TSA verifies identity and screens passengers for aviation-security risks. ICE separately reviews immigration records.
Passenger Information Is Being Shared With ICE
The arrests are supported by information shared between the Transportation Security Administration and ICE.
TSA’s Secure Flight system receives passenger details when a reservation is made. The records can include a traveler’s name, date of birth and planned itinerary.
Internal data reviewed by Reuters showed that TSA sent information involving more than 31,000 travelers to ICE from the beginning of President Donald Trump’s second term through February 2026. Those referrals resulted in more than 800 arrests.
That figure covers more than a year and does not represent the number arrested during the latest airport operations. Reuters also could not establish how many of the 800 arrests physically occurred inside airports.
One Flight Attendant Was Arrested While Working
The enforcement push has reached airline employees as well as passengers.
Southwest Airlines flight attendant Lorenzo Thompson was arrested at Nashville International Airport on July 14 while working.
ICE said he entered the United States from Jamaica in 2021 and remained after his visa expired. Friends and union representatives said he later applied for asylum and received employment authorization.
His case shows that permission to work does not always protect a person from detention when ICE alleges an unresolved immigration violation.
Bottom Line
Noncitizens with an expired visa, removal order or unresolved case face a greater risk of detention when flying inside the United States.
Before traveling, they should check the status of any immigration court proceedings, understand what protection a pending application provides and keep contact details for a lawyer and family member.
Based on the available reporting, at least 27 people have been arrested in the latest airport operation. The final total remains unknown because the Department of Homeland Security has not published a complete breakdown.
Also Read: How Many People Has Trump Deported
