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Representing over 26,000 
American Airlines crew members, the Association of Professional Flight Attendants issued a statement on Monday opposing the continuous escalation of activities by Immigration and Customs Enforcement. The APFA stated that it is “deeply alarmed” by the aggressive tactics used by ICE to target passengers and even crew while disrupting airline operations.
The Association declared that the conduct of ICE officers not only makes operations more difficult at an economically volatile time for the industry, but it can also place crew in dangerous positions. The APFA is now taking anonymous reports from crew who have experienced ICE-related activities in the workplace that they believe is conduct inconsistent with the rule-of-law.
ICE’s Disregard For Airport Security And Safety Protocol
Since the second administration of President Donald Trump, detention and deportation activities have consistently made headlines across the country due to the increasingly aggressive tactics employed by officers. As federal agents, ICE officers have leveraged their right of access to airports across the nation to conduct operations without coordinating with the Airport Authority or local law enforcement. Now, the APFA is giving a voice to flight attendants who wish to speak out.
It is increasingly common for ICE agents to use routine airport activities as a means of ambushing suspects. ICE can use flight schedule data shared through the Transportation Security Administration to employ tactics like summoning travelers through false baggage issues or seat changes. The APFA says that many airport staff and cabin crew still have not been provided with instruction on the proper protocol to follow if conduct by federal law enforcement agents violates standard security protocols.
One commonly reported example is ICE agents attempting to gain unauthorized access to the aircraft or jet route during boarding procedures. In the absence of clear guidance, many FAs have refused entry. Meanwhile, the APFA and other unions, like AFACWA, have directed members not to answer questions without judicial warrants.
The statement released by the APFA on August 31 made this remark on the disruption caused by ICE:
“The airline industry is meant to reunite family and friends, support business and leisure travel, and make the world a smaller, more welcoming place. [When] federal actions erode our values, threaten constitutional protections, and endanger our livelihoods, we will speak out.”
ICE’s Apparent Absence Of Cooperation With Airport Authorities
Commercial airports depend heavily on highly structured, multi-agency protocols refined over decades to ensure public safety. ICE operations have deeply disrupted this system, which has been highly refined since the September 11 attacks on New York City in 2001. ICE consistently refuses to plan or perform joint operations with local airport police departments or municipal airport boards.
ICE Agents regularly initiate sweeps, vehicle stops, and terminal apprehensions without notifying the airport’s central command structure. These tactics also appear to be disproportionately applied at specific airports as well, such as Minneapolis Saint Paul International (MSP), which is the home ‘turf’ of Trump’s former rival and critic: former Minnesota National Guard Master Sergeant, Governor, and Vice President Candidate Tim Walz. ICE Agents detained over a dozen employees as they reported for their shifts in January.
During the 2025 Christmas and New Year travel season, ICE conducted a months-long crackdown on MSP. Agents randomly stopped employees and customers for spot checks, seizing documents and detaining individuals who presented valid REAL IDs based on ‘on-the-spot’ invalidation assessments.
The July 14 arrest of Southwest Airlines flight attendant Lorenzo Thompson serves as a prime, real-world example of the exact ‘blind-sided’ enforcement tactics fueling the current aviation industry backlash. Additionally, the validity of his detainment remains legally contested, as he was reportedly in the process of obtaining citizenship while present on a valid working Visa despite ICE’s claim that it had expired.
The Danger Of Minimal Training And Recruiting Standards
A significant point of concern for the risk posed by disruptive ICE activities to airports and airline operations is the fact that the agency has expedited its recruiting and training pipeline. The passage of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act in mid-2025 mandated the Department of Homeland Security to conduct a massive scale up of force levels. Since then, there have been nationwide allegations of illegal search and seizure and even firearm-related mishaps in airports.
To get boots on the ground, DHS cut the standard 584-hour training curriculum down by 40% to roughly 340 hours, according to the Washington Post. The sudden influx of under-trained agents into sensitive security environments like airports has resulted in field agents being issued weapons and badges while still under ‘provisional’ clearance, as NBC News reported.
The free rein of ICE agents has already proven to be disruptive to many US airports and airlines. Yet, there is the further financial consideration of the ‘climate of fear’ that these conditions create, which deters demand for air travel.
It is specifically detrimental to attracting international tourists, who are some of the highest-paying customers and represent a major economic contribution to the US Aviation Market. At a time when the global flying business is experiencing volatility due to high fuel costs as a result of Operation Epic Fury, the toll of such negative customer perception can have very real consequences in terms of revenue.
