Immigration authorities are increasingly detaining travelers at U.S. airports, including some with pending asylum applications or federal work authorization, under expanded coordination between the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
The arrests have sparked legal challenges and raised concerns among immigration advocates about domestic air travel for non-citizens with unresolved cases.
Chantal Morales Rojas, a 27-year-old software engineer from Ecuador, was one of them. She was detained at Denver International Airport in July as she prepared to fly to her home in Oakland, California.
ICE says she overstayed her visa. Her attorney, Laura Lichter, disputes the accusation, saying her client had a pending application and federal work authorization at the time of her arrest. After spending ten days inside a detention center, a judge ordered her release on a 3,000 U.S. dollars bond.
Later in July, Johns Hopkins University researcher Fatima Ameaka, from Cameroon, was detained at Baltimore-Washington International Airport. The government cited a visa overstay. Her attorney says she held Temporary Protected Status and has a pending asylum case. Ameaka was released, though she, like Morales Rojas, still faces removal proceedings.
Also in July, University of Maryland instructor Berhanu Kibret from Ethiopia was detained at Dallas Fort Worth Airport, days after receiving a teaching award. The Department of Homeland Security says his visa expired, but the university says he has valid work authorization. He remains in custody.
As detainments become increasingly common, immigration lawyers are advising their clients to limit their movements.
"What I'm telling them right now is, be careful. You, you don't want to go and travel domestically if you do not have a lawful nonimmigrant status. The government is technically not doing anything that they are not allowed to do, but it used to be policy for every immigration agency not to pursue removal against someone that is currently undergoing a case, to have a case pending at USCIS," said Guilherme Lopes, an immigration attorney.
Airline passengers in Miami had mixed reactions to the enforcement trend.
"I think it depends on how they are collaborating. ICE has overstepped its bounds every opportunity it's had. I don't have all the facts but I would say it's a dangerous situation for people traveling in the United States right now," said Mike Davey, a passenger at airport.
"I always want to feel safe, so I'm happy with all collaborations between law enforcement," said another passenger.
Legal experts are urging immigrants with unresolved status to reconsider air travel, warning that the risks have never been higher.
Rising immigration arrests at US airports raise travel concerns
