ALERT: ICE Seeks Help from Airline Employees to Locate Passengers

ICE has intensified its detentions at airports and is requesting support from airline employees to locate certain passengers. Workers from Colorado, Texas and Arizona reported that plainclothes agents have asked for information about travelers.

The requests include access to internal systems, passenger identification and entry to restricted areas. The increase occurs as ICE uses passenger information shared by the Transportation Security Administration (TSA).

What Kind of Help Does ICE Request from Airlines?

According to TIME, agents have appeared without warning at counters and boarding gates. In some cases, they have asked employees to locate specific travelers within terminals. A worker identified as Laurie reported that agents asked her for help finding a passenger. The employee asked to see the court order justifying the arrest.

The agents responded that the order was inside a vehicle, according to her testimony. «Since I had never seen anything like that, I got a little scared and thought: ‘What do I do?'» Laurie told TIME. Other employees said they felt uncomfortable participating in immigration operations. Some workers question whether they should help when there is no visible court order.

How Many Detentions Does ICE Make at Airports?

ICE currently makes between 20 and 40 detentions daily at U.S. airports. Last year, the average was below 10 arrests per day. The increase represents more than double since the start of the federal campaign at airports. Operations are primarily directed against people with final deportation orders or expired visas.

However, advocates claim that travelers with pending immigration applications have also been detained. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) defended the operations and said that its agents enforce the country’s laws. Authorities maintain that airports are strategic spaces to locate people with immigration orders.

How Does TSA Share Information with ICE?

An agreement signed in May 2025 formalized the exchange of certain data between TSA and ICE. The organization American Oversight obtained the document through a lawsuit based on the Freedom of Information Act. The agreement allows ICE to provide TSA with lists of people considered of interest.

TSA compares those names against flight records within its air security system. Subsequently, ICE can receive information about reservations, flights and schedules of identified passengers. The documents raised questions about the use of information originally collected for air security. American Oversight noted that the agreement creates a formal connection between airport security and immigration control.

Who Can Be Affected by This Practice?