Tlaib moves to block ICE airport arrests, says TSA helping target immigrants

Progressive Democrats are taking their war against President Donald Trump's handling of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to the skies with a new effort led by far-left Rep. Rashida Tlaib, D-Mich.

Tlaib introduced a bill on Tuesday aimed at blocking ICE and Border Patrol agents from accessing air travelers' data called the No TSA Data for ICE Act, which would curb federal immigration officials' ability to arrest noncitizens at U.S. airports.

The legislation would stop ICE and Customs and Border Protection (CBP) from being able to use data gathered by the Transportation Security Administration (TSA), which includes passenger screening records, travel records, and personally identifiable passenger information purchased from private data brokers.

A TSA spokesperson ripped into Tlaib in response and argued the bill would make the U.S. vulnerable to terror threats. "As we approach the 25th anniversary of the horrific terror attacks of 9/11, it’s not shocking that some in the Democrat Party would want to neuter the Department of Homeland Security’s ability to protect Americans from terrorists," the spokesperson said.

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"DHS was established to prevent information silos that could create blind spots against threats. Does Rep. Tlaib want our enemies to be empowered to attack the U.S. again?" the TSA spokesperson said.

The bill would also block the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) from barring an individual from trusted traveler programs like TSA PreCheck based on their First Amendment-protected activity, like attending protests or speaking out against the administration.

Tlaib's bill has little chance of getting a vote in the current Republican-controlled Congress.

If enacted, it could significantly curb the ability of DHS's separate entities to coordinate immigration enforcement.

The Michigan Democrat said in a statement that the TSA was "complicit in ICE expanding its chaos and cruelty to target our communities in our airports."

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"Through an information-sharing agreement signed in 2025, TSA is readily offering up our immigrant residents to suffer at the hands of ICE agents so they can fulfill their daily arrest quota. One source from ICE even said it makes for ‘easy targets’ at airports—a disgusting exploitation of immigrants in status limbo," Tlaib said. "Immigrants should be able to safely fly in this country without the fear of arrest or deportation."

Democrats have near-universally hammered the Trump administration's immigration crackdown since the president came back to the White House in January 2025.

The criticism fueled the longest partial government shutdown in history, with DHS going unfunded for 76 days as Democrats protested federal immigration agents' killing of two U.S. citizens earlier this year — which also drew ire from Republicans.