In recent weeks, the United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has conducted several targeted operations at Bradley International Airport, the Connecticut Airport Authority (CAA) confirmed Friday.
The CAA said the federal agents involved wore plain clothes and were not readily identifiable as ICE agents. Apparently, ICE has been conducting similar operations at airports across the country, state airport officials noted.
The airport crackdowns are part of a sudden nationwide surge. Just last week, ICE agents detained a Southwest Airlines flight attendant right on the job in Nashville on July 14. And days later, federal officers stepped up enforcement even further. They pulled a passenger directly off a Southwest jetway in Denver on July 20.
State airport officials said they have only learned about these operations after the fact, and that they did not assist in them in any way.
The CAA said it has no authority to intervene in or prevent such operations. The agency said these operations occurred predominantly in federal-controlled areas. Furthermore, the CAA said its mission is to "provide the safest and most convenient facilities for its workforce and the many families and individuals traveling through Bradley International Airport."
The CAA concluded its statement saying this initiative does not further its mission.
