The United States has begun arresting foreign nationals with expired visas at airports nationwide, signaling a broader push in President Donald Trump’s immigration enforcement campaign.
According to a report published Wednesday by The New York Times, US Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers have detained travelers at check-in counters, boarding gates, and arrival terminals across at least 15 airports in recent weeks.
The report stated that enforcement officers targeted spouses of US residents, skilled foreign workers awaiting visa extensions, past exchange visitors, and other migrants with outstanding immigration applications.
Reports indicate that the arrests mark a significant expansion of the partnership between the Transportation Security Administration and Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
Previously, the program targeted mainly individuals facing outstanding deportation orders.
However, internal US Department of Homeland Security documents obtained by The New York Times reveal that the operation now targets individuals with expired visas, including those with pending residency applications.
Many applicants remain in legal limbo while awaiting decisions on visa extensions, green card applications, or other immigration benefits, even though they often hold valid work permits during this period.
Previously, authorities did not prioritize such individuals for deportation unless they committed a crime.
A Department of Homeland Security spokesperson defended the strategy, stating that the administration remains committed to enforcing immigration laws.
The spokesperson said, “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 department did not clarify, however, whether officials had formally expanded the airport enforcement program.
According to the article, the White House has increased pressure on ICE to ramp up immigration arrests nationwide, with Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin reportedly setting a daily target of roughly 2,000 detentions.
Backstory…
The arrests form part of President Donald Trump’s broader immigration crackdown, which has intensified since his return to the White House.
The administration has expanded immigration enforcement by increasing deportations, tightening visa regulations and directing federal agencies to identify and remove individuals who violate U.S. immigration laws.
Visa overstayers—foreign nationals who remain in the country after their authorized period expires—have become a major focus of the administration’s enforcement strategy alongside illegal border crossings.
Meanwhile, this comes shortly after the US announced that routine visa processing at its embassy in Abuja and 24 other diplomatic posts in Africa will cease from August 1, 2026, as part of a larger restructuring of its overseas consular activities.
Read Also: US Halts Routine Visa Processing at Abuja Embassy, 24 African Missions
