Mexico and United States tighten airport immigration enforcement

Mexican immigration authorities have begun enforcing strict passport‑validity rules at several regional airports, including Querétaro, Puebla, Toluca and Ciudad Juárez. Airlines are required to verify that travelers’ passports are unexpired and fully active before boarding. Passengers presenting expired or otherwise invalid documents risk denial of entry, administrative interviews, temporary detention, deportation and loss of connecting flights.

In the United States, airlines are pushing back against an expansion of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) operations inside airport terminals. Carriers have met with the Department of Homeland Security to seek clearer limits on arrests at gates and jet bridges. ICE officials report conducting between 12 and 36 airport arrests per day, with a target of roughly 2,000 daily arrests nationwide. The controversy intensified after the arrest of researcher Fatima Ameaka at Baltimore‑Washington International Airport, prompting airline trade group Airlines for America to call for proper procedures and protocols.