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Airports become ICE's new operation centers, making up to 40 arrests daily
🇲🇽 Mexico /Crime & Justice

Airports become ICE's new operation centers, making up to 40 arrests daily

From El Universal · () Spanish

Translated from Spanish, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News Documents & data Ongoing story
  • U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) is increasingly using airports as operational hubs for arrests.
  • Data suggests ICE conducts between 20 and 40 arrests daily at U.S. airports.
  • Concerns are raised about the use of passenger data, collected for travel, being integrated into immigration enforcement systems.

U.S. airports are transforming into operational centers for Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) operations, with dozens of arrests occurring daily. A recent case involved Chantal Alejandra Morales Rojas, who was detained at Denver International Airport on July 20 as she was about to board a flight back to Oakland. Passengers and employees recorded the incident, which saw agents intercept her after she scanned her boarding pass, blocking her exit and escorting her down an external staircase to a waiting van on the tarmac.

ICE had prior knowledge of Morales's flight details, including the gate and departure time, indicating a pre-planned operation. Her defense team filed a habeas corpus petition challenging the legality of the arrest. Morales was released on July 30 after posting a $3,000 bond, ten days after her detention. This case is indicative of a broader trend, with reports suggesting ICE conducts between 20 and 40 arrests per day at U.S. airports.

Americans provide their personal information to board a plane safely, not to enter an immigration control system or a government surveillance network.

— Chioma ChukwuDirector of American Oversight, commenting on the use of passenger data for immigration enforcement.

The process begins with the personal information travelers provide to purchase tickets and pass security checks. Airlines transmit this data to the Transportation Security Administration (TSA), which then shares it with ICE. A data-sharing agreement signed in May 2025 reportedly allows ICE to retain this information in its own systems. This collaboration has raised concerns among privacy advocates, who argue that passenger data, collected for security purposes, is being repurposed for immigration enforcement without adequate public knowledge or consent.

Chioma Chukwu, director of American Oversight, criticized the practice, stating, "Americans provide their personal information to board a plane safely, not to enter an immigration control system or a government surveillance network." Jorge Mario Cabrera of the Coalition for Human Rights of Immigrants in Los Angeles (CHIRLA) echoed these concerns, noting that ICE's access to this data facilitates detentions in controlled environments with less scrutiny.

the information that is receiving ICE allows to detain a person in a controlled space and with less

— Jorge Mario CabreraSpokesperson for the Coalition for the Rights of Immigrants in Los Angeles (CHIRLA), discussing ICE's access to passenger data.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by El Universal in Spanish. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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