The United States has begun detaining foreign nationals with expired visas at airports, marking a significant expansion of President Donald Trump’s immigration enforcement campaign.
According to reports, US Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers have detained travelers at check-in counters, boarding gates and arrival terminals at at least 15 airports in recent weeks. Those affected reportedly include spouses of US citizens, skilled foreign workers awaiting visa extensions, former exchange visitors and migrants with pending applications to remain in the country.
The enforcement programme represents an expansion of an existing collaboration between the Transportation Security Administration and ICE. Previously, the airport operation largely focused on people with outstanding deportation orders. However, internal Department of Homeland Security documents reviewed by The New York Times reportedly show that the programme now includes some people whose visas have expired, even when they have pending immigration applications.
The development is particularly significant because hundreds of thousands of foreigners overstay US visas every year, with many remaining in legal limbo while waiting for decisions on visa extensions, green card applications, asylum claims or other immigration benefits. Some also hold valid work authorisations while their cases are being processed.
The Trump administration has intensified pressure on ICE to increase arrests nationwide. Immigration lawyers told the newspaper that the new approach has affected people from more than a dozen countries, including individuals seeking permanent residency through marriage and workers awaiting visa renewals.
One reported case involved Chantal Morales Rojas, a 27-year-old Ecuadorian former au pair, who was detained while attempting to board a domestic flight despite having a pending immigration application and work authorization. Another involved a Ugandan woman with sickle cell anemia who was detained while her asylum application remained active.
Immigration attorney Charles Kuck described the development as unprecedented in his 38 years of practice.
Separately, the US has announced that routine visa processing at its Abuja embassy and 24 other African diplomatic missions will end from August 1, as Washington restructures consular services across the continent.
