Firm in the belief that immigration enforcement is bad for business, Southwest Airlines is pushing back hard against efforts to detain illegal immigrants at U.S. airports, according to a new report.
A report from The Wall Street Journal highlights a July 25 incident in which an Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent tried to board a Southwest Airlines jet in Dallas.
The agent was prevented from carrying out his duties by the airline, the outlet reported.
Dallas-based Southwest staff also refused to share passenger information with ICE.
The Wall Street Journal cited a source it did not name as saying that in recent weeks, about a half-dozen other incidents involving Southwest have taken place.
Rashida Tlaib rips TSA for targeting immigrants while introducing bill to scrap ICE airport arrests https://t.co/FGs2wEWf2o pic.twitter.com/QS95NE6GP6
— New York Post (@nypost) August 5, 2026
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The incidents occur as ICE has been broadening their efforts to arrest illegal aliens at airports, such as airports in San Francisco, Miami, and Kansas City, Missouri.
Last month, between one and three dozen arrests per day were made at U.S. airports.
The Wall Street Journal indicated Southwest was not the only airline that threw up roadblocks to arresting illegal immigrants, but did not name the other carriers offering similar resistance.
Southwest said in a statement that it follows the law and wants to provide travelers a safe experience.
The airline said it has policies in place “to ensure appropriate legal documentation is presented by law enforcement personnel before any information about customers is shared.”
Airline industry officials want clarity on the tactics ICE will use, with a clear preference for detaining illegal immigrants at TSA checkpoints rather than on planes.
“Airlines have had constructive discussions with ICE and TSA to ensure if law-enforcement activity occurs at an airport, there are proper procedures and protocols in place to prioritize the safety and security of all involved,” a representative of Airlines for America, a trade group, said.
Federal agents are using flight manifests to arrest travelers with lapsed visas, drawing objections from airlines https://t.co/C6L9dBaHyy via @WSJ
— EJ Passeos (@ejpasseos) August 6, 2026
Department of Homeland Security representative Lauren Bis said it is “simply enforcing our nation’s laws and established policy.”
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