Airline staff push back as US immigration enforcement intensifies at airports
US airline employees are refusing to assist federal agents targeting passengers at airports, amid a sharp rise in immigration arrests that has drawn concern from carriers and unions.
US airports have become a new frontline in the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown, with federal agents making dozens of arrests per day and airline workers increasingly declining to cooperate, according to recent reports.
The Wall Street Journal reported that Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and the Transportation Security Administration (TSA), both part of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), have expanded their collaboration, leading to as many as 36 daily arrests at US airports last month.
The New York Times reported that those detained include a former au pair, a wheelchair-bound asylum seeker with sickle cell anemia, and women married to US citizens who are in the process of applying for lawful permanent residency.
San Francisco immigration lawyer Ghassan Shamieh, who had four clients detained at airports over 10 days, said the detainees are not criminals but people with legitimate pending applications.
The enforcement marks a departure from DHS’s previous practice of avoiding airport arrests to prevent disrupting travel. With a stated goal of 2,000 daily arrests, ICE is now detaining people in public areas such as ticket counters and near gates.
A DHS spokesperson said the administration wants to ensure undocumented immigrants cannot fly unless they are leaving the country to self-deport.
In one incident in Dallas, an agent tried to board a plane, but a Southwest Airlines gate agent refused permission without a judge-signed warrant. Airline workers also blocked ICE from viewing a computer screen while passengers were boarding.
Southwest said it follows the law and has protocols to verify appropriate legal documentation before sharing customer information.
Hundreds of airport arrests have occurred since TSA and ICE began cooperating last year. The airline industry met with DHS in July to express its discomfort with the policy change.
Experts warn that confrontations could escalate and endanger bystanders or airline staff. Sara Nelson, international president of the Association of Flight Attendants, wrote to carriers in March that federal actions raise serious workplace, safety and legal concerns for flight attendants.
