immigration

Tag Archives for immigration.

DHS Secretary Floats Pulling Customs From Sanctuary City Airports — JFK, LAX, O’Hare And SFO Lose All International Flights

by Gary Leff on April 7, 2026

Apr 07 2026

The new DHS secretary says the administration is “looking at” pulling Customs and Border Protection officers from airports in sanctuary cities, which would shut those airports off from international arrivals. The idea is absurd by the standards of the administration’s own policy goals. Many of the airports are not even in the cities being targeted, and cutting off major hubs like JFK, LAX, or O’Hare would ripple far beyond red-blue politics into the entire U.S. air travel system and economy.

ICE Agents Will Be Allowed Behind Airport Checkpoints Without SIDA Badges — After Trump Reportedly Waives Badge Rules

by Gary Leff on March 26, 2026

Mar 26 2026

ICE agents deployed to airports during the government shutdown are now expected to get access behind checkpoints without the SIDA badges normally required for unescorted entry into secure areas. That means bypassing the fingerprinting, background checks, and training airport workers usually need — a move that could weaken the challenge-and-report culture airports rely on to keep secure areas secure.

Viral SFO Airport ICE Arrest Was Not Part Of The New TSA Deployment Program

by Gary Leff on March 23, 2026

Mar 23 2026

A woman was detained by immigration authorities at San Francisco International Airport late Sunday night, and video of the scene is now being widely miscast as part of the new ICE deployment to airport checkpoints. It was not

ICE Is Showing Up At Airport Checkpoints — Your Rights Are Different Than With TSA

by Gary Leff on March 23, 2026

Mar 23 2026

ICE agents are now showing up at airport checkpoints, but they are not the same as TSA screeners — ICE agents are law enforcement officers, while TSA checkpoint staff generally are not. That changes your rights.

American Woman Detained By Border Agents—What Happens When You Don’t Look Like Your Old Passport Photo

by Gary Leff on February 8, 2026

Feb 08 2026

A woman crossing the U.S. border from Mexico was detained by Customs and Border Protection after facial recognition software repeatedly failed to match her current appearance to her passport photo taken 10 years earlier. Officers claimed her eyes looked “more open” in her old picture, leaving her locked in a secure room and repeatedly questioned before finally being allowed to leave without explanation.

Minneapolis Refuses To Renew Liquor Licenses For Hotels That House ICE Agents

by Gary Leff on February 4, 2026

Feb 04 2026

Minneapolis has refused to renew liquor licenses for two hotels accused of housing ICE agents, igniting a political and legal controversy. Despite warnings from the city’s own attorney about potential illegality, the city council moved forward—highlighting deep tensions around immigration enforcement and local government intervention.

Court Filings: ICE Uses “Mobile Fortify” To Identify Protesters — Global Entry and PreCheck Get Revoked

by Gary Leff on January 30, 2026

Jan 30 2026

ICE is using a smartphone app called “Mobile Fortify” to scan faces and capture contactless fingerprints, instantly pulling back names and biographical data — and court filings say the same encounters are being followed by revocations of Global Entry and TSA PreCheck.

That turns “trusted traveler” into chilling of speech. DHS runs both the surveillance and the program, and being “under investigation” can be enough to lose your status even if protesting itself cannot legally be a disqualifier.

ICE to Patrol Jet Bridges at Minneapolis Airport for 3 Weeks, Airport Employee Says

by Gary Leff on January 15, 2026

Jan 15 2026

A Minneapolis airport employee says ICE agents will be “checking and verifying documents” for the next three weeks, including patrolling jet bridges at the gates. It’s a post-security choke point that makes it easy to intercept travelers right before boarding or immediately after landing—and it raises serious questions about how this overlaps with the right to travel, especially for citizens and lawful residents who can still get caught up in enforcement mistakes.

‘The Government Erased Her’ — Global Entry Revoked, Then the Passport System Could Not Find Her

by Gary Leff on January 13, 2026

Jan 13 2026

fter her Global Entry was suddenly revoked, a woman says the government “erased” her — because when she tried to renew her U.S. passport online, the system allegedly returned a message saying no record of her identity could be found. Her congressional office is now trying to get answers.

Hilton Kicks Minnesota Hotel Out of the Brand After Video Shows It Still Turning Away DHS Bookings

by Gary Leff on January 6, 2026

Jan 06 2026

Hilton says it is removing a Minneapolis-area hotel from the brand after a follow-up video suggested the property was still refusing to honor Department of Homeland Security bookings even after an apology and assurances that agents would be welcome.