Trump Immigration Crackdown: US Arrests Visa Overstayers At Airports

The United States has intensified its immigration enforcement campaign under President Donald Trump, with immigration officers reportedly arresting foreign nationals whose visas have expired at airports across the country.

A report by The New York Times said officers of the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) have, in recent weeks, detained travellers at check-in counters, boarding gates and arrival terminals in at least 15 airports nationwide.

According to the report, those affected include spouses of U.S. citizens, skilled foreign workers awaiting visa extensions, former exchange visitors and other migrants with pending immigration applications.

The development marks a significant expansion of an existing collaboration between the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) and ICE. The programme had previously focused primarily on individuals with outstanding deportation orders.

However, internal U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) documents reviewed by The New York Times indicate that the operation now also targets people whose visas have expired, even when they have pending applications to remain legally in the United States.

Hundreds of thousands of foreign nationals overstay their U.S. visas each year, with many remaining in legal limbo while awaiting decisions on visa extensions, permanent residency applications or other immigration benefits. Many of them continue to hold valid work authorisation while their applications are being processed.

In the past, such individuals were generally not considered priority targets for deportation unless they had been convicted of criminal offences.

Defending the administration’s approach, a spokesperson for the Department of Homeland Security said the government remained committed to enforcing U.S. 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, stopped short of confirming whether the airport enforcement programme had been officially expanded.

The report also stated that the White House has stepped up pressure on ICE to increase immigration arrests nationwide, with Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin reportedly setting a target of approximately 2,000 immigration arrests each day.

Immigration lawyers told The New York Times that the enforcement strategy has affected clients from more than a dozen countries, including individuals with pending asylum claims, work visa renewal applications and requests for permanent residency through marriage.

Among the reported cases is that of Chantal Morales Rojas, a 27-year-old Ecuadorian former au pair, who was detained while attempting to board a domestic flight after her visa expired, 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 even though she had an active asylum application.

Reacting to the development, immigration attorney Charles Kuck described the arrests as unprecedented in his decades of legal practice.

“In 38 years practising immigration law, I had never seen this,” he said, adding, “And I know it’s happening to lots of people.”