The United States has begun arresting foreign nationals with expired visas at airports across the country, marking an expansion of the President Donald Trump administration’s immigration enforcement campaign.

According to a report by The New York Times published on Wednesday, officers from the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement have detained travellers at check-in counters, boarding gates and arrival terminals in at least 15 airports in recent weeks.

The report said those targeted include spouses of US citizens, skilled foreign workers awaiting visa extensions, former exchange visitors and other migrants with pending immigration applications.

The arrests reportedly represent a significant expansion of an existing collaboration between the Transportation Security Administration and ICE.

Previously, the programme focused mainly on individuals with outstanding deportation orders.

However, internal U.S. Department of Homeland Security documents reviewed by The New York Times indicate it now also covers people whose visas have expired, even if they have pending applications to remain in the country.

Hundreds of thousands of foreign nationals overstay U.S. visas each year.

Many remain in legal limbo while awaiting decisions on visa extensions, green card applications or other immigration benefits, often holding valid work permits during the process.

In the past, such individuals were generally not prioritised for deportation unless they had committed criminal offences.

A spokesperson for the Department of Homeland Security defended the policy, saying the administration was committed to enforcing immigration laws.

“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 spokesperson said.

The department, however, did not confirm whether the airport enforcement programme had formally been expanded.

According to the report, the White House has increased pressure on ICE to raise immigration arrests nationwide, with Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin reportedly setting a target of about 2,000 immigration arrests daily.

Immigration lawyers told The New York Times that the new enforcement strategy has affected clients from more than a dozen countries, including people with pending asylum claims, work visa renewals and applications for permanent residency through marriage.

Among the reported cases is Chantal Morales Rojas, a 27-year-old Ecuadorian former au pair, who was detained while boarding a domestic flight after her visa had expired, despite having a pending immigration application and work authorisation.

Another reported case involved a Ugandan woman with sickle cell anaemia who was detained despite having an active asylum application.

Immigration attorney Charles Kuck described the development as unprecedented in his decades of legal practice.

“In 38 years practising immigration law, I had never seen this,” he said, adding that, “And I know it’s happening to lots of people.” (PUNCH)

Update news