Sen. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) and Sen. Alex Padilla (D-Calif.) announced a Senate inquiry into Immigration and Customs Enforcement actions at San Francisco International Airport, calling for transparency on how the Transportation Security Administration shares passenger data with immigration authorities.
ICE Detentions Spark Senate Inquiry
On Monday, the inquiry follows widely circulated videos showing a woman and her young daughter detained by ICE agents at the airport last week.
“I’m launching an inquiry with @SenAlexPadilla on the alarming actions by ICE at San Francisco International Airport,” Schiff wrote on X.
He added, “We must know what immigration data TSA is sharing with ICE and why. The last thing we need are more scenes like the one we witnessed last week.”
He continued, “ICE agents shouldn’t be at our airports.”
An image accompanying Schiff’s post noted that airport security officials have been sharing passenger information with immigration authorities, but the program received little public attention until the recent detention incident.
Padilla echoed concerns about transparency, emphasizing the need to ensure that travelers’ rights are protected.
ICE Deployment At Airports Sparks Controversy
Padilla criticized the Donald Trump administration, saying on X, “No more ICE and CBP agents terrorizing our communities,” while also opposing wars that raised gas prices and denouncing voting restrictions like the SAVE Act.
Last week, Former strategist Steve Bannon suggested ICE airport deployments could be a “test run” for the 2026 midterms, with agents “trained to… check IDs” potentially helping at polling places.
TSA union leaders condemned the move as ineffective, calling it an “insult” and a “waste of money,” noting ICE officers lacked aviation-security training and customer-service skills needed at checkpoints.
White House border czar Tom Homan said ICE would assist TSA to reduce long lines but would not operate X-ray machines or screen passengers, instead handling security duties like monitoring exits.
Disclaimer: This content was partially produced with the help of AI tools and was reviewed and published by Benzinga editors.
Photo Courtesy: lev radin on Shutterstock.com
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