US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) arrested more than 800 people following tips from the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) between the start of Donald Trump’s second presidency and February 2026, according to internal data reviewed by Reuters. The figure is far higher than previously known.
The TSA supplied ICE with records on over 31,000 travellers for possible immigration enforcement, the data showed. The records were gathered through the Secure Flight Program, created in 2007 to check passengers against government watchlists for counter-terrorism purposes, not immigration enforcement.
Reuters could not determine how many arrests occurred inside airports, but the TSA tips would mainly help identify when a person would be travelling. The agencies are both part of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). The DHS did not respond to questions about the data sharing, but the TSA said it is “pursuing solutions that improve resiliency, security and efficiency”.
The use of airport data for immigration arrests has sparked political backlash. In mid-February, Democrats blocked funding for Trump’s immigration crackdown without reforms, leading to a standoff that caused TSA officers to miss paychecks. Trump then deployed ICE officers to over a dozen airports in March to aid security. More than 40 House Democrats wrote to Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin, saying ICE officers “will cause confusion and fear”.
Several airport arrests have drawn criticism. In November, ICE detained a college student travelling from Boston to Texas. In March, a mother was arrested at San Francisco airport. The DHS defended both, saying they had final removal orders. Immigration attorney Christina Canty described an Irish couple with pending residency applications who were deported in summer 2025, leaving their two young children with relatives.
