The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) has provided Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) with tens of thousands of traveler records—far more than was previously known—since Trump returned to the presidency.

Key facts

-The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) shared more than 31,000 traveler records with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) from the beginning of President Trump’s second term through February 2026, Reuters reported.

-The traveler records were gathered by TSA's Secure Flight Program, created in 2007 to identify and match would-be terrorists to watchlists—not to track down immigration offenders. Tips from the TSA led to more than 800 arrests by ICE, Reuters found.

What is TSA’s Secure Flight Program

The Secure Flight Program was created in 2007 to allow the TSA to prescreen travelers who may be on terrorist watchlists and prevent them from boarding aircraft. The stated purpose is to identify “low and high-risk passengers before they arrive at the airport by matching their names against trusted traveler lists and watchlists,” according to a Defense Department bulletin.

Protocols for sharing traveler data were addressed in a 2007 privacy impact statement, which explained that TSA would collect limited Secure Flight Passenger Data (SFPD)—including the traveler’s full name, date of birth, gender, redress number, known traveler number, and passport information. “Personal data is collected, used, distributed, stored and disposed of according to stringent guidelines,” according to a note on American Airlines’ website. The data is subject to “all applicable privacy laws and regulations,” according to United Airlines.

Airport arrests

Last month, Trump sent ICE agents to airports amid the partial government shutdown —but ICE has been making arrests at airports for months, three immigration attorneys told Reuters. (Source: Forbes)

Story Date: April 8, 2026