The United States has intensified its immigration enforcement efforts 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 from the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) have detained travellers at check-in counters, boarding gates and arrival terminals in at least 15 airports in recent weeks as part of an expanded immigration enforcement campaign.
Those reportedly affected include spouses of U.S. citizens, skilled foreign workers awaiting visa renewals, former exchange programme participants and other migrants with pending immigration applications. Many of them are said to be waiting for decisions on visa extensions, permanent residency or asylum claims.
The report noted that the arrests represent a significant expansion of an existing partnership between the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) and ICE. While previous operations primarily targeted individuals with final deportation orders, internal U.S. Department of Homeland Security documents reviewed by The New York Times indicate that the programme now also covers people whose visas have expired, even when they have pending applications to remain in the country.
Every year, hundreds of thousands of foreign nationals overstay their visas in the United States. Many remain legally authorised to work while immigration authorities process applications for extensions, green cards or other benefits. Historically, such individuals were generally not prioritised for removal unless they were linked to criminal offences.
Defending the policy, a spokesperson for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security said the 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 New York Times, the White House has directed immigration authorities to significantly increase enforcement activities nationwide, with officials reportedly targeting about 2,000 immigration arrests each day.
Immigration lawyers told the newspaper that the latest enforcement measures have 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 Chantal Morales Rojas, a 27-year-old Ecuadorian former au pair, who was allegedly detained while preparing to board a domestic flight despite having a pending immigration application and valid work authorisation. Another case involved a Ugandan woman living with sickle cell anaemia who was reportedly detained while her asylum application remained under consideration.
Immigration attorney Charles Kuck described the development as unprecedented in his decades of legal practice.
“In 38 years practising immigration law, I had never seen this. And I know it’s happening to lots of people,” he said.
The latest enforcement actions are expected to heighten concerns among immigrants with pending legal applications as the Trump administration continues to pursue stricter immigration policies across the United States.
