Trump ICE airports: Agents abandon masks as raids hit 7 US airports

By Muhammad Asghar | GlobalBeat

President Donald Trump’s administration deployed unmasked Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers to seven major U.S. airports on Tuesday after scrapping plans for masked agents, officials told reporters.

The reversal came hours before ICE teams began operations at airports in Atlanta, Chicago, Dallas, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami and Newark, according to three Homeland Security officials who requested anonymity.

The mask policy change marked a rapid shift in tactics as Trump intensifies immigration enforcement. The president had previously praised masked officers as “tough” during campaign events, but senior officials worried the imagery could backfire politically, one official said.

“We determined visible identification supports transparency goals,” acting ICE Director Todd Lyons said in a statement. Officers would display agency badges and name tags, he added.

The airport operations targeted arriving passengers with deportation orders or criminal records, officials said. Agents boarded 47 commercial flights during the first 12 hours, according to ICE data provided to reporters.

At Chicago O’Hare, officers removed 11 passengers from a Mexico City flight, airport spokesman Matt McGrath confirmed. Similar scenes played out in other cities, though exact arrest totals remained unclear Tuesday night.

Democratic governors condemned the operations. “These tactics terrorize families,” California Governor Gavin Newsom told reporters in Sacramento. Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker called the raids “un-American” and threatened legal action.

Republican governors praised the enforcement. Florida Governor Ron DeSantis said the operations “restore the rule of law,” while Texas Governor Greg Abbott called them “long overdue.”

Air travelers reported confusion and delays. Sarah Chen, arriving in Los Angeles from Taipei, said agents blocked the jetway for 45 minutes. “They checked every passenger’s papers,” she told Reuters by phone.

The operations expanded Trump’s mass deportation promise. During his campaign, he vowed to deport “millions” of undocumented immigrants using military and civilian resources.

Legal challenges emerged quickly. The American Civil Liberties Union filed emergency motions in three federal districts Tuesday evening, arguing the airport operations violated due process rights.

Airlines faced operational headaches. United Airlines delayed 23 flights from international destinations, spokesman Charlie Hobart said. American Airlines reported 19 delays, mostly in Miami and Dallas.

International reaction remained muted. Mexico’s foreign ministry issued a statement urging “respect for human rights” but did not directly criticize the operations. Canadian officials said they were monitoring the situation.

The mask controversy had simmered for weeks. Internal DHS emails obtained by CBS News showed career officials warning masked agents could appear “intimidating” and generate negative publicity.

Trump dismissed those concerns during a Fox News interview last week. “Sometimes you need tough people,” he said. But political advisors warned the imagery resembled authoritarian crackdowns, a senior White House official told the Associated Press.

The policy reversal pleased some law enforcement groups. The Federal Law Enforcement Officers Association had urged visible identification, saying anonymity increased safety risks for agents.

Background

ICE airport operations expanded dramatically during Trump’s first administration, growing from 2,105 encounters in 2017 to 5,871 in 2020, according to agency statistics. The Obama administration averaged 1,400 annual airport encounters during his final term.

Constitutional questions surrounding airport immigration enforcement have persisted for decades. The Supreme Court ruled in 1973 that border agents could conduct warrantless searches within 100 miles of U.S. borders, covering nearly every major airport. Lower courts have generally upheld broad immigration enforcement powers in transportation hubs, though specific cases continue challenging the scope of these authorities.

What’s Next

ICE officials said airport operations would continue “indefinitely” with daily deployments planned through at least April. Congress scheduled oversight hearings for next week, where Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem faces questions about the program’s scope and legal authority.

The administration’s shift away from masked agents signaled recognition of political optics while maintaining hardline enforcement. Legal battles will likely determine whether these airport operations expand or contract in coming months.