Immigration agents arrested a mother and daughter at San Francisco International Airport on March 22, separating the family at a departure gate as bystanders demanded to see credentials.
Angelina Lopez-Jimenez, 41, of Contra Costa County, was traveling with her 9-year-old daughter Wendy to Miami to visit her older daughter when two plainclothes men detained her. The Transportation Security Administration had flagged their names in the flight manifest and shared the information with Immigration and Customs Enforcement, according to federal records.
The family had a 2019 deportation order that was seven years old. By Tuesday, both mother and daughter were on a flight to Guatemala.
The arrest highlights a broader system that has turned domestic air travel into an immigration enforcement tool, according to internal ICE documents obtained by Reuters.
TSA Data Sharing Fuels Arrests
From January 2025 through February 2026, TSA shared passenger information on more than 31,000 travelers with immigration services, leading to over 800 arrests, Reuters reported April 7.
The data comes from Secure Flight, a program TSA launched in 2007 to screen passengers against terrorist watch lists. The counterterrorism tool now searches for people with expired visas and outstanding deportation orders.
Between 40% and 50% of those detained in certain regions had no criminal history, according to the analysis.
The Lopez-Jimenez case reflects a pattern nationwide. An Irish couple who had lived in the United States for 20 years was detained on a flight from Florida to New York. The parents were deported while their children, ages 7 and 10, remained with relatives. A college student was arrested in Boston in November 2025 on an old warrant she did not know existed.
Since March 23, ICE has stationed agents at 14 major airports across the country. The Trump administration cited the need to help TSA during a government shutdown as staffers resign over unpaid wages. ICE agents now conduct screenings in uniform with access to federal databases.
SFO operates differently. Private contractors, not TSA, have handled security screening since 2005. No ICE agents work the checkpoint lines at SFO, and Oakland and San Jose airports report no unusual activity. However, TSA continues sharing passenger data regardless of who conducts screenings.
Real ID Creates New Barriers
Starting May 7, 2025, domestic flights require Real ID-compliant driver’s licenses marked with a star or other approved federal documents. TSA no longer accepts standard licenses marked “Federal Limits Apply.”
California requires a Social Security number and proof of legal immigration status to obtain Real ID. Undocumented immigrants cannot qualify.
About one million California residents hold AB 60 licenses that allow driving but not federal identification. These licenses are useless at airports.
Alternatives include valid foreign passports, U.S. passport cards, Global Entry cards, NEXUS, SENTRI, or military IDs. Children under 18 can fly without documents. TSA will conduct additional screening for those without approved identification but cannot formally deny boarding.
The distinction between passing security and flying safely has become critical.
Risk Assessment Changes
Travelers with legal status need only Real ID or a passport for standard screening and boarding.
Those with vulnerable immigration status face new risks on domestic flights. A valid foreign passport allows passage through security, but Secure Flight data sharing can trigger arrests at terminals, during connections, or upon arrival.
Immigration attorneys recommend consulting a lawyer before purchasing tickets. They advise never showing AB 60 licenses to federal agents, as the “Federal Limits Apply” notation signals unauthorized status rather than serving as identification.
Airports in 2026 function as federal territories with surveillance systems, databases, and uniformed personnel who access every passenger’s immigration history.