A public health researcher at Johns Hopkins University was detained by immigration officers at Baltimore-Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport while boarding a domestic flight this week.
Fatima Ameaka, an employee at the Bloomberg School of Public Health, was arrested on July 28 while preparing to board a flight for a personal trip, according to the university and the Department of Homeland Security.
DHS said Ameaka entered the United States in 2023 on a visa that has since expired. She will remain in ICE detention while awaiting an immigration court hearing.
University Response
“We are deeply concerned about this situation,” a Johns Hopkins spokesperson said in a statement. “Though we cannot comment on the specifics of her situation, we want to assure our community that the university is actively working to provide support for Dr. Ameaka, including ensuring she has access to legal representation.”
The university described Ameaka as “a respected member of our community.”
Increased Airport Enforcement
The detention comes as the Trump administration ramps up immigration enforcement at US airports amid increased collaboration between the Transportation Security Administration and ICE.
ICE sources told CBS News that TSA has been providing tips and leads about noncitizen travelers to ICE, including immigrants who don’t have criminal records but are suspected of civil immigration violations, such as overstaying a visa.
In May 2025, TSA and ICE agreed to boost information sharing between the two agencies, according to a memo disclosed by the group American Oversight.
An ICE source told CBS News that undocumented immigrants traveling at airports are “easy targets” ICE agents can arrest in secured locations with advance information about their cases.
The Government’s Position
In a statement to CBS News, DHS confirmed that immigration enforcement at airports has increased.
“DHS reversed the horrendous Biden-era policy that allowed aliens in our country illegally to jet around our country,” DHS stated. “Under President Trump, DHS will no longer tolerate this. This administration is working diligently to ensure that aliens in our country illegally can no longer fly unless it is out of our country to self-deport.”
The Bottom Line
ICE arrested a Johns Hopkins public health researcher at BWI Airport while she was boarding a domestic flight. The university says Ameaka entered the US in 2023 on a visa that has since expired. The detention is part of increased immigration enforcement at airports, fueled by greater information sharing between TSA and ICE. The university is providing legal support to Ameaka, who awaits an immigration court hearing.
