The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) is supplying Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) with lists of airline passengers several times weekly, aiding the Trump administration’s mass deportation drive. Both agencies report to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS).
The New York Times reports these manifests let ICE cross-check against deportation targets and send agents to airports for arrests.
“ICE can then match the list against its own database of people subject to deportation and send agents to the airport to detain those people,” the newspaper said.
A DHS spokesperson told CNBC that “This is nothing new.” They credited Secretary Kristi Noem with reversing Biden-era policies.
“Back in February, Secretary [Kristi] Noem reversed the horrendous Biden-era policy that allowed aliens in our country illegally to jet around our country and do so without identification. Under President Trump, TSA and DHS will no longer tolerate this. 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.”
DHS data shows ICE deportations up 45% in 2025, with critics like the ACLU decrying privacy erosions.
This report displays tensions in Trump’s pledge for millions of deportations, amid lawsuits challenging the data-sharing’s legality. Airlines like Delta and United have quietly adjusted protocols, notifying TSA of potential matches pre-flight to avoid disruptions.