US immigration agents and airport security staff have teamed up to make as many as three dozen arrests per day at US airports in July 2026. But many airline workers have refused to help, saying the people being detained often have applications in progress for visas, asylum, or green cards (The Guardian, WSJ).

This partnership between ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) and TSA (Transportation Security Administration) began the year before. Since then, hundreds of immigration arrests have happened at US airports. By April 2026, TSA had shared more than 31,000 traveler records with ICE, leading to over 800 arrests from TSA tips alone (Reuters. Federal agents now use airline flight lists to find travelers whose visas have expired. Those arrested include spouses of Americans, tech workers, and others who had active visa applications (WSJ; NYT).

This is a change from how things used to work. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS), which oversees both ICE and TSA, had generally avoided immigration enforcement at airports so travelers would not be disrupted (The Guardian; NYT). Now, ICE is detaining people with pending immigration applications in public areas like ticket counters and gates, far from the security checkpoints (The Guardian; NYT).

The people arrested show how wide the net has been cast. They include a former au pair, an asylum seeker with sickle cell anemia who uses a wheelchair, and women married to US citizens who were applying for green cards (The Guardian; NYT). A San Francisco immigration lawyer named Ghassan Shamieh said four of his clients were detained at US airports in just 10 days (The Guardian).

Airline employees have pushed back directly. In Dallas, a Southwest Airlines gate agent refused to let a federal agent board a plane without a warrant signed by a judge. Airline workers also blocked ICE from looking at a computer screen while passengers were boarding (The Guardian; WSJ). Southwest Airlines told the Wall Street Journal it follows the law and requires proper legal documents from law enforcement before sharing customer information (The Guardian; WSJ).

The tension goes beyond single incidents. Airline industry leaders met with DHS in July 2026 to express discomfort with the new airport enforcement policy (The Guardian; WSJ). In March 2026, Sara Nelson, who leads the Association of Flight Attendants, wrote a letter to airlines raising concerns about workplace safety and legal issues tied to federal enforcement actions (The Guardian; WSJ).

The push for more arrests comes from a DHS goal of 2,000 immigration arrests per day (The Guardian; NYT). A DHS spokesperson said the administration wants to make sure people in the country illegally can no longer fly unless they are leaving the country on their own (The Guardian; NYT).

The broader context here is a clash between what the federal government wants and how airlines actually operate. Airlines collect passenger data for safety and regulatory reasons, not for law enforcement. Their workers are not trained or legally required to help with immigration arrests. When federal agents ask to see flight lists or boarding screens, gate agents and flight attendants are left in a confusing legal spot, which is exactly what Nelson's March letter pointed out. Southwest demanding a warrant signed by a judge before letting agents onto a plane or handing over passenger information suggests some airlines are refusing to cooperate voluntarily.

Arresting people who have pending applications for asylum, green cards, or other relief raises its own legal questions. Immigration lawyers have long argued that detaining someone while their case is still being reviewed by immigration authorities can disrupt that process and may violate their legal rights. The reported cases, including an asylum seeker with a serious medical condition and spouses of US citizens applying for green cards, are likely to lead to more lawsuits.

What is still unclear is whether the airline industry's objections will lead to a formal change in policy, or whether DHS will keep using its existing legal authority to access passenger data. The July meeting between industry leaders and DHS suggests both sides want some kind of agreement, but nothing has been announced publicly. With DHS chasing its goal of 2,000 arrests per day and airline workers actively resisting, airports have become one of the most contested places in the federal immigration enforcement system.