ICE Has Found a New Home
Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents remain deployed at 14 major U.S. airports to assist the Transportation Security Administration (TSA). What was initially presented as a temporary stopgap has begun to look more permanent. Although President Trump signed an executive order on March 27 to provide emergency back pay to TSA workers, officials have indicated that ICE agents will not be leaving anytime soon.
Public sentiment reflects this uncertainty. Several individuals polled over the weekend at Earles Grill expressed skepticism that the agents would ever fully withdraw, suggesting that what was introduced as a short-term solution may signal a lasting shift in airport security operations.
My Color is My Security
John Zebelean came to the United States as a political refugee, fleeing Czechoslovakia in 1988 during what he describes as the final years of an aggressive communist dictatorship. After arriving, he took advantage of educational opportunities, earning a Master of Science in Metallurgy from the Technical University of Ostrava, followed by studies at Santa Monica College and UCLA, where he obtained degrees in Physics and Electrical Engineering.
Zebelean credits the United States with allowing him to participate in what he calls a free society. Yet he also sees troubling parallels between his country of origin and his adopted home. According to Zebelean:
“We who left Czechoslovakia in 1988 were fleeing the final years of a Communist regime; our Secret Police (StB) was similar to ICE. In this environment, everyday life was monitored, and police forces were often viewed as fearful and excitable agents of the government.”
He continues:
“ICE agents have killed individuals; they wear masks like the StB of Communist Czechoslovakia, and they make you go away. The recent deployment of ICE agents to assist TSA at 14 major U.S. airports has been described by critics as a ‘weaponized’ use of a federal agency to execute an ‘authoritarian agenda.’”
Despite these concerns, Zebelean says he personally feels no fear when traveling because he “is white.”
He believes his European background places him outside the scope of enforcement concerns, adding that Eastern Europeans are rarely targeted unless involved in serious criminal activity such as drug smuggling, vehicle theft, or human trafficking.
Good People and Yard Politics
A recent development in the informal labor economy of South Los Angeles involves immigrants from Ghana. According to Luis, a day laborer, many of these newcomers gather near the Ladera Heights Home Depot parking lot seeking work.
“These people seek a better life and are attempting to work as day laborers with us. They wait outside the Ladera Home Depot parking lot. Males utilize their skills in home carpentry as drywallers, plumbers, tilers, and electricians.”
Luis speaks positively about their work ethic.
“They are good, hardworking people; some often work at the auto body shops on Slauson Blvd. as auto body repair people.”
Despite this endorsement, a visible divide remains. Groups of Hispanic laborers, often numbering 40 or more, gather along Fairfax Avenue, while smaller groups of fewer than 10 individuals of African descent remain separate, often standing under nearby trees.
Interaction between the groups appears minimal.
A security guard patrolling near 39th Street and Crenshaw Boulevard has also observed Ghanaian women working in the area. According to the guard, they walk through shopping center parking lots selling handmade bracelets crafted from beads and copper wire. While they speak English, they appear wary of any interaction with law enforcement.
He describes how they approach customers near businesses such as Starbucks and Chase Bank, attempting to sell their goods while remaining cautious of their surroundings.
Thema Yemofari, an outreach counselor for a Ghanaian assistance program, provides additional context.
“These individuals described by the security guard receive support from a number of View Park, Crenshaw area churches whose congregations are part of the Ghanaian community. One thing that all these individuals have in common is their fear of coming in contact with anybody representing ICE or one of their Homeland Security sister agencies.”
She adds that fear extends beyond undocumented individuals:
“We have church members who are business owners and physicians and lawyers who feel uneasy about having to come in contact with ICE at airports. Individuals do not want to accidentally get arrested and deported to a holding facility in a third world country while attempting to catch a flight.”
Fear from a Power Couple
Ronaldo and his wife Regina represent a different perspective—one shaped by decades of professional success and public service. Both immigrated to the United States in their youth, Ronaldo from Haiti and Regina from El Salvador. They met as young adults at a jazz club, married and began building a life that would position them among the upper tiers of government and civic leadership.
Ronaldo built a career in federal logistics, overseeing the movement of goods, personnel, and sensitive materials.
He explains:
“If Uncle Sam owned it or employed it, with the exception of nuclear materials—including staff—my vehicles have transported it.”
His work required high-level security clearance, regular polygraph examinations, and constant awareness of surveillance. He lived as though every phone call could be monitored and every device could observe him.
As the owner of a logistics company, he also benefited from Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) initiatives aimed at expanding opportunities for underrepresented groups. His operations brought him into regular contact with institutions such as the Pentagon, the Capitol, the Department of Justice, and the Smithsonian.
Regina built her own career in public service, serving as a Maryland council member and later running as a candidate for lieutenant governor.
Despite their accomplishments and more than forty years of U.S. citizenship, both express deep concerns about current conditions. They have made a decision with their children to avoid international travel until there is a change in federal leadership.
Their concern centers on the presence of ICE agents in airports:
“There is a very strong possibility my husband or I can be accidentally arrested and detained even though we were government officials or agents of this nation. We fear ICE, and having them staffing airports is scary.”
They worry that what is happening now could establish a precedent.
“With this administration, if it is successful in placing ICE at airports once, the template has been made, and such actions can reoccur. This can be a serious issue with artificial intelligence-assisted accelerated deportations.”
Deportation and the Super Brain
The deployment of ICE agents into roles traditionally held by TSA signals more than a temporary adjustment. It suggests a potential shift in how airport security may function in the future. While initially framed as a response to operational shortages, it establishes a precedent: immigration enforcement can become embedded in everyday travel environments.
For some travelers, this may appear to be a logistical solution. For others, particularly immigrants and communities of color, it represents an expansion of enforcement into spaces that once felt neutral.
Although ICE agents are currently limited to responsibilities such as identification checks and crowd management, their presence blurs the distinction between aviation security and immigration enforcement. That distinction matters. Airports serve as gateways to mobility, and when enforcement becomes part of that environment, it can create the perception that certain travelers may face additional scrutiny based on identity, accent, or appearance.
For African American and Latino travelers, this reinforces longstanding concerns about unequal treatment in public spaces.
At the same time, the growing use of artificial intelligence introduces new complexities. Technologies such as facial recognition and gait biometrics are capable of rapidly identifying individuals or analyzing movement patterns. However, studies have shown that these systems often produce higher error rates for darker-skinned individuals.
In a setting where enforcement visibility is already heightened, the integration of such technologies raises concerns about misidentification and disproportionate targeting.
Together, these developments point toward a future in which surveillance and enforcement are more deeply embedded in the travel experience, reshaping who feels secure and who feels watched.
Notably, many individuals interviewed for this story expressed hesitation about sharing their names, underscoring the climate of fear and uncertainty surrounding these changes.