The United States has intensified its immigration enforcement by arresting foreign nationals with expired visas at airports across the country, according to a report by The New York Times.
The report, published on Wednesday, said officers of the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) have recently detained travellers at airport check-in counters, boarding gates and arrival terminals in at least 15 airports nationwide.
Those reportedly affected include spouses of U.S. citizens, skilled foreign workers awaiting visa renewals, former exchange programme participants and migrants with pending immigration applications.
The latest enforcement marks a significant expansion of an existing partnership between ICE and the Transportation Security Administration (TSA). While the initiative previously focused on individuals with final deportation orders, internal U.S. Department of Homeland Security documents reviewed by The New York Times indicate it now also targets people whose visas have expired, even if they have pending applications to remain in the United States.
Every year, hundreds of thousands of foreign nationals overstay their visas while awaiting decisions on visa extensions, permanent residency applications or other immigration benefits. Many continue to hold valid work authorisations during this period and were previously not considered enforcement priorities unless they were accused of criminal offences.
Defending the policy, a spokesperson for the Department of Homeland Security said the Trump administration remains committed to enforcing immigration laws.
“This administration is working diligently to ensure that aliens in our country illegally can no longer fly unless it is out of our country to self-deport,” the spokesperson said.
The department, however, did not confirm whether the airport enforcement programme had been officially expanded.
According to the report, the White House has also pushed ICE to increase immigration arrests nationwide, with Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin reportedly setting a daily target of about 2,000 arrests.
Immigration lawyers told The New York Times that the new strategy has affected clients from more than a dozen countries, including individuals with pending asylum claims, work visa renewals and marriage-based green card applications.
Among the reported cases is 27-year-old Ecuadorian national Chantal Morales Rojas, a former au pair who was detained while preparing to board a domestic flight despite having a pending immigration application and valid work authorisation after her visa expired.
Another case involved a Ugandan woman living with sickle cell anaemia who was reportedly detained even though her asylum application remained under consideration.
Immigration attorney Charles Kuck described the development as unprecedented in nearly four decades of legal practice.
“In 38 years practising immigration law, I had never seen this,” Kuck said. “And I know it’s happening to lots of people.”
