US Expands Immigration Crackdown, Arrests Foreigners With Expired Visas At Airports — Report

The United States has reportedly stepped up its immigration enforcement by arresting foreign nationals with expired visas at airports across the country, broadening the scope of the Trump administration’s crackdown on undocumented migrants.

According to a report by The New York Times published on Wednesday, 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.

The report said those affected include spouses of U.S. citizens, skilled foreign workers awaiting visa renewals, former exchange visitors and other migrants with pending immigration applications.

The development marks a significant expansion of an existing partnership between the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) and ICE. The programme previously focused mainly on individuals with outstanding deportation orders but has now reportedly been widened to include people whose visas have expired, even if they have pending applications to remain legally in the United States.

Internal U.S. Department of Homeland Security documents reviewed by The New York Times indicate that foreign nationals awaiting decisions on visa extensions, permanent residency applications or other immigration benefits may now be subject to arrest despite holding valid work authorisations.

Each year, hundreds of thousands of foreign nationals overstay their U.S. visas. Many remain in legal limbo while immigration authorities process applications for visa renewals, green cards or asylum. Historically, such individuals were not considered high priorities for deportation unless they were linked to criminal offences.

Defending the administration’s stance, a spokesperson for the Department of Homeland Security said the government remained committed to enforcing 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 initiative had officially been expanded.

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

Immigration lawyers told The New York Times that the new enforcement approach has affected clients from more than a dozen countries, including individuals with pending asylum claims, work visa renewal applications and marriage-based green card petitions.

Among the cases highlighted was that of 27-year-old Ecuadorian former au pair, Chantal Morales Rojas, who was reportedly arrested while preparing to board a domestic flight after overstaying her visa, despite having a pending immigration application and valid work authorisation.

Another case involved a Ugandan woman living with sickle cell anaemia who was detained even though she had an active asylum application.

Reacting to the development, immigration attorney Charles Kuck described the arrests as unprecedented.

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