Who Is and Who Is Not ICE at U.S. Airports

We have been flooded with messages concerned about ICE at airports, questioning or mistaking other agencies for ICE. Here is a quick visual guide.

By Memo Torres

4:06 PM PDT on March 23, 2026

Three U.S. Customs and Border Patrol agents posing in their navy blue uniform. — Image courtesy of U.S. Customs and Border Protection.

As air travel in the U.S. continues to snarl over the unpaid wages of TSA workers, Donald Trump has come up with a solution nobody asked for: Add ICE agents to the airport.

So that's happening. And to give you fair warning as to where these ICE agents will show up next, we decided to break down which airports you'll find them at and how to spot them.

NOT ICE

Two DHS Police officers with TSA walking through an airport terminal. Photo courtesy of Senator Sasha Renée Pérez.

TSA VIPR

If they’re wearing khaki pants, black shirts, and black vests labeled “Department of Homeland Security Police,” they’re with TSA’s team, which monitors public transit, including Metro stations.

They are likely part of TSA’s Visible Intermodal Prevention & Response (VIPR) team. Also, they are too well-groomed and dressed to be ICE goons.

Three U.S. Customs and Border Patrol agents posing in their navy blue uniform and their vehicle. — Images courtesy of U.S. Customs and Border Protection.

U.S. CUSTOMS AND BORDER PROTECTION

U.S. Customs and Border Protection has always been at airports in navy blue uniforms, checking passports, and performing other duties. They are not ICE.

IS ICE

ICE agents and their vest insignias from ICE, ERO, and HSI. Graphic by Memo Torres for L.A. TACO.

ICE, HSI, ERO

You will see three types of uniformed ICE agents, mainly Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO), and Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), all three of which are ICE.

Trump has ordered them to be unmasked, but if you see them masked without uniforms, they are likely making a targeted arrest or transferring someone to another country, as they were seen doing at San Francisco’s airport over the weekend.

AIRPORTS WHERE ICE IS CURRENTLY DEPLOYED:

Chicago-O'Hare International Airport (Chicago, Illinois)
Cleveland Hopkins International Airport (Cleveland, Ohio)
Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport (Atlanta, Georgia)
William P. Hobby Airport (Houston, Texas)
John F. Kennedy International Airport (New York City, New York)
LaGuardia Airport (New York City, New York)
Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport (Kenner, Louisiana)
Luis Munoz Marin International Airport (San Juan, Puerto Rico)
Newark Liberty International Airport (Newark, New Jersey)
Philadelphia International Airport (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania)
Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport (Phoenix, Arizona)
Pittsburgh International Airport (Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania)
Southwest Florida International Airport (Fort Myers, Florida)

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Memo Torres

Memo Torres is a multi-media taco journalist and Director of Partnerships for the James Beard award-winning L.A. Taco. He was a finalist for the Ruben Salazar Award for Latino Journalists. He has functioned as a taco scout for numerous shows and can be seen on Netflix's Taco Chronicles and Pressure Cooker. Memo is also currently hosting a food guide on all iPhones' Apple Maps.