The Transportation Security Administration is providing Immigration and Customs Enforcement with passenger information from U.S. flights as part of the Trump administration’s deportation initiatives.
TSA reportedly shares lists of travelers several times per week, which ICE uses to identify individuals subject to deportation and send agents to detain them at airports. Both agencies operate under the Department of Homeland Security.
A DHS spokesperson described the program as “nothing new,” adding that under the current administration, undocumented immigrants will no longer be allowed to travel domestically without proper identification and that efforts are underway to ensure individuals can only fly if departing the country to self-deport.
The total number of arrests resulting from this information sharing is unclear. However, documents indicate that the program led to the November 20 arrest of college student Any Lucía López Belloza at Boston’s Logan Airport. She was deported to Honduras two days later while en route to visit family in Texas for Thanksgiving. López, who was brought to the U.S. from Honduras at age 7, reportedly had no knowledge of a deportation order.