By Nick Valencia | March 25, 2026
SAN FRANCISCO— For years, the understanding both inside immigrant communities and among many advocates was that TSA’s role was limited.
They screened for threats to aviation security and short of someone being on a terrorism watch list, they weren’t considered a threat to national security. That appears to have changed.
Now, according to state officials and what unfolded this week at San Francisco International Airport (SFO), TSA is sharing information with ICE about travelers who are undocumented and have final removal orders.
That’s a fundamental expansion of how immigration enforcement can operate, folded into the most routine part of modern life: airport security.
“Think Twice Before You Travel”
The implications were immediate. California State Senator Scott Wiener’s office is now advising undocumented residents to think twice before boarding a plane.
What used to be a point of transit is becoming a point of enforcement. There’s a tendency to see stories like this through the lens of legality alone. Final removal order. Undocumented status. Case closed.
But that misses the deeper shift. This isn’t just about who can be deported. It’s about where enforcement happens, and how visible, how normalized, and how embedded it becomes in everyday systems.
