Liberal groups like the ACLU are criticizing the Trump administration for arresting illegal immigrants here in the U.S. at local airports.
“Non-citizens who do not currently have secure lawful status should consider the risks of flying, including on domestic flights within the US. Recent reporting suggests that ICE is using flight passenger information to locate non-citizens and arrest them when boarding or after disembarking from flights,” the ACLU said in an official statement.
Groups including the American Civil Liberties Union have complained that ICE agents are targeting immigrants whose only immigration violation is overstaying their visas.
The Trump administration maintains that people who remain in the United States after their visas expire are in the country illegally and are therefore subject to arrest and deportation.
Sources familiar with the enforcement process told Florida Daily that travelers should not be surprised to see an increased ICE presence at airports such as Orlando International Airport and Miami International Airport, where agents may apprehend immigrants suspected of being in the country illegally
The New York Times recently reported that the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) and Immigration and Customs Enforcement are working together to carry out arrests and deportations and that ICE officers were arresting people with deportation orders at airports with the help of information provided by airlines to the TSA.
In April of 2024, Florida Daily reported how the Biden administration allowed nearly 386,000 migrants from over 10 different countries to fly into U.S. airports.
It was allowed under the “Humanitarian Parole” program, where migrants could bypass the normal screening process to enter the country for a temporary period.
The stats documented by Florida Daily showed that most of those flying into the U.S landed at Florida airports.
