In a rare move, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has revealed how many travelers it barred from entering the country at New York City’s John F. Kennedy Airport.
CBP announced figures for February and March on Thursday, the first two full months of the second Trump administration, with more than 320 people declared inadmissible.
Why It Matters
While increased immigration enforcement in the U.S. has been widely reported, along with a drop in illegal crossings at the southwest border, the CBP numbers for air travelers come after weeks of reports that visa and green card holders, as well as American citizens, have been subjected to increased scrutiny when getting off international flights.
AP Photo/Bebeto Matthews
What To Know
CBP said in a press release that its officers stopped 135 “inadmissible aliens” from entering the country in February, while 194 were stopped in March.
The numbers are relatively small in comparison to the 1.1 million travelers who passed through CBP control at JFK, one of the country’s busiest airports, in February alone, the latest month of data available, but the agency appeared keen to highlight its work as part of wider immigration enforcement under President Donald Trump.
Whether people are able to enter the U.S., even with a visa, has become a growing issue in recent weeks as the federal government seeks to enforce rules and laws it sees as being ignored or lax under the Biden administration.
As Newsweek reported last month, more travelers have reported having their social media and messages checked on their phones and other electronic devices, while some visa holders had reported being barred entry at various airports.
CBP said in its press release that all immigrants must prove that they are admissible and that they have not violated any laws or immigration rules, in order for a CBP officer to allow them in, even if they have an approved visa.
An immigration law firm in New York, Messersmith Law, which offers advice to those caught up in immigration issues at JFK Airport, says on its website that immigrants and visitors can be turned away at the border and put on the next flight home, but it is only a small proportion.
Data for these turnarounds appeared hard to come by. When asked for numbers for previous months and years, CBP referred Newsweek to its statistics page, but information on specific airports is not available.
What People Are Saying
Francis J. Russo, director of CBP’s New York Field Operations, in a press release: “CBP stands steadfast and determined to prevent those who are willfully attempting to evade our existing immigration laws from entering at our ports. Our employees are dedicated to CBP’s mission of keeping those who would wish to harm us or break our laws, out of the United States.”
What Happens Next
CBP said that although its officers were refusing entry to those who are not eligible to travel to the U.S., “JFK remains the gateway to the world” and will continue to welcome “legitimate travelers” to the U.S.