ICE apprehended over 800 individuals following information received from the US airport security agency

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement apprehended over 800 individuals based on information provided by federal airport security officials from the beginning of Donald Trump’s presidency until February 2026, according to internal ICE data analyzed by Reuters, a number significantly higher than what was previously disclosed.

According to the data, the Transportation Security Administration provided ICE with records on over 31,000 travelers for potential immigration enforcement.

Reuters was unable to ascertain the number of arrests that occurred within airports, although the TSA tips would primarily assist in identifying when an individual might be traveling.

ICE and TSA belong to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. The agencies have traditionally exchanged information concerning national security threats; however, last year they shifted their focus to routine immigration arrests as part of Trump’s mass deportation initiative.

The TSA program was established to combat terrorism.

The 31,000 traveler records were collected by TSA’s Secure Flight Program, established in 2007 to enable the agency to examine passenger information for individuals who might be on U.S. government watchlists. The program was designed as a counter-terrorism initiative, rather than for the purpose of identifying immigration violators, as stated in the regulation that defines its objectives.

DHS did not address inquiries regarding TSA’s sharing of passenger information with ICE but stated that under Trump, TSA “is pursuing solutions that improve resiliency, security, and efficiency across our entire system.”

The figures for arrests and traveler records that the TSA provided to ICE prior to Trump’s current term were inaccessible.

Since mid-February, U.S. airports and immigration enforcement have been embroiled in a partisan funding dispute, as Democrats have declined to back extra funding for the Republican president’s immigration crackdown unless there are reforms to reduce aggressive tactics.

The standoff prevented the passage of a bill to fund DHS, resulting in TSA security officers missing at least two full paychecks. Following a situation where several unpaid TSA officers started calling in sick, Trump sent ICE officers to over a dozen airports in March to assist with security operations.

Critics have directed their ire at the deployment, urging the Trump administration to withdraw them. A coalition of over 40 Democrats in the U.S. House of Representatives addressed a letter to newly appointed Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin last week, expressing that the presence of ICE officers in airports “will cause confusion and fear.”

Reports have emerged of unexpected arrests occurring at the airport.

The arrest of travelers by ICE officers in U.S. airports has generated significant backlash.

ICE officers took a college student into custody while traveling from Boston to Texas for Thanksgiving in November and arrested a distressed mother at San Francisco International Airport just a day before Trump’s airport deployment commenced.

DHS stood by both arrests, asserting that they were in accordance with final orders of removal.

Reuters interviewed three immigration attorneys who expressed familiarity with instances of individuals lacking legal immigration status being apprehended at airports.

According to Christina Canty, one of the lawyers, the cases involved an Irish couple who had resided in the U.S. for over twenty years. Immigration authorities apprehended them last summer in front of their children while they attempted to fly from Florida to New York after a vacation.

The parents, who had pending applications for permanent residency, were deported, leaving their two young children, ages 7 and 10, in the care of adult siblings in the U.S., according to Canty.

In a separate instance, an attorney reported that a Chinese woman, who had a final order of removal and was pursuing permanent residence, was detained by ICE last year at the Atlanta airport while traveling to Philadelphia.