Iliana Noeli Lick Detained by ICE at Philadelphia International Airport Amid Nationwide Expansion of Airport Immigration Enforcement
Iliana Noeli Lick, a 30-year-old Argentine citizen, was detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents at Philadelphia International Airport on July 11, 2026. Lick entered the country on a travel visa and had filed paperwork to change her status, making her one of several people caught in a recent uptick of federal immigration enforcement at airports across the country. Under the administration, ICE is increasingly targeting foreign citizens with expired travel visas, even those with pending applications for legal status and no criminal records. The administration announced that this shift reverses a previous policy that allowed illegal immigrants to travel freely. DHS officials stated that the administration is working to ensure that illegal immigrants can no longer fly unless they are self-deporting. Immigration advocates warn that the airport crackdown is a new front in the mass deportation campaign. Experts suggest that ICE is using shared data between the Transportation Security Administration and ICE to identify and arrest non-citizens. Attorneys are advising immigrants with unresolved status to avoid airports until further notice.