by Adam J. Kneeland

TSA appears to have broken its long-standing practice of not checking immigration status for domestic travel (that is, travel within the US). Though no official sources have confirmed this updated TSA policy, immigration attorneys have begun receiving calls from clients who have been detained at airports even while flying domestically. Other attorneys report that the TSA has begun sharing travelers’ information with ICE.

Those at risk include people in the US who are currently out of status or are relying on a pending application or petition (an extension of H1B, for example, or a pending I-485). People in these situations should consider even domestic air travel to be unsafe.