OPINION-US VISA | IMMIGRATION CORNER: TSA providing passenger data to ICE for deportations
The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) is now providing the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) with lists of people expected to travel through US airports on domestic flights (within the United States). This program is part of the Trump administration’s deportation program, targeting people with outstanding deportation orders, according to an article in The New York Times.
If you have been ordered deported, you may be at risk of being picked up at the airport by ICE. In fact, that is what happened to one such person who was flying from Boston to Texas for the Thanksgiving holiday and was unaware that she had been ordered deported.
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According to The New York Times, several times per week, the TSA gives ICE a list of travelers expected to be passing through airports. ICE would then match that list against its own database of people who have an outstanding deportation order and send their agents to the airport to detain and deport those people. According to a Homeland Security spokesperson, “This is nothing new.” The Trump administration’s position is that the only reason such a person should be flying is to self-deport home. Previously, the TSA did not ordinarily get involved in domestic criminal or immigration matters, but now it seems they are working with ICE to identify people with deportation orders and alert ICE, who can pick them up at the airport as they are either boarding or deplaning.
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In one case, a young woman, who was brought to the United States from Honduras at age seven, was traveling domestically but had been unaware that she was subject to a deportation order. She went through TSA security with her Honduran passport, but when it was time to board, her boarding pass did not work, and she was instructed to go to customer service to figure out what was happening. She was then apprehended by ICE and deported to Honduras.
This policy is now more concerning during the government shutdown and lack of funding for TSA, where ICE is now working hand-in-hand with TSA at security checkpoints.
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If you have an outstanding deportation order, you should now be aware that it is risky to fly even within the United States. I would strongly advise that you consult with an attorney, who can determine if there is anything that can be done about the deportation order or perhaps there could be ways to legalize your status. I have also posted on my YouTube channel, US Immigration TV, a video on how and where you can check online to determine if you have been ordered deported, using your alien or “A” number.
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