US Detains Foreign Nationals with Expired Visas at Airports

The United States has begun detaining foreign nationals with expired visas at airports during domestic flights, including spouses of US citizens and immigrants holding valid work permits, according to a report by The New York Times.

Based on documents from the US Department of Homeland Security and interviews with immigration lawyers cited in the report, more than 24 people from various countries have been detained, placing them in a legal grey area. Those detained had previously applied for green cards or were awaiting administrative processing, and were officially permitted to work in the US.

Previously, migrants undergoing immigration administrative processes who had no criminal record were almost never detained at US airports. The newspaper reported that the detentions are the result of expanded cooperation between the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). Under this framework, passenger information provided by airlines is automatically cross-checked against immigration databases.