ALBAWABA - There are new details about a U.S. government program that was not previously known. It lets immigration officials keep an eye on and arrest undocumented immigrants in domestic airports, which leads to quick detentions and deportations.
The New York Times got documents that show the program lets the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) share passenger information with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) several times a week. Then, ICE agents can be sent to airports to stop people who have outstanding deportation orders.
The system led to the arrest of Any Lucia López Belloza, a Honduran university student who was held at Boston Logan Airport on November 20 and sent back to Honduras within 48 hours. López had no problems going through TSA screening, but she was stopped at the gate when her boarding pass didn't work.
A former ICE official says that the program has led to arrests in about 75% of the cases that the agency has received. Critics say the plan could take away from important airport security tasks, cause delays, and scare immigrant communities.
TSA and ICE have been working together quietly since March as part of President Donald Trump's larger plan to carry out what he has called "the largest deportation operation in U.S. history." A representative from the Department of Homeland Security said very clearly, "The message to those here illegally is clear: the only travel you should be doing is your return home."
Former officials from the Biden administration, on the other hand, say that this approach could make migrants who aren't sure of their status more afraid and less likely to fly legally.
The Pacific Enforcement Response Center in California is where most of the program's coordination happens. It sends flight information and alerts to ICE field offices across the country. In a number of recent cases, such as the well-known detention of López, the California office gave names, flight numbers, departure times, and sometimes even pictures just a few hours before the flight.
There is also video of other arrests, like the one of Marta Renderos Leiva, a Salvadoran woman who was caught at Salt Lake City Airport in October.
Advocacy groups say the new airport plan is dangerous and coercive.
Human Rights First said that the program is meant to "terrorize communities" and could cause people to disappear into the deportation system without going through the proper legal process.
López, who was studying business at Babson College and had never been in trouble with the law, had planned a surprise trip to Texas to see family over Thanksgiving. She is now back in Honduras and looking for a way to continue her education abroad.
