Hickenlooper, Bennet, Colleagues Demand Answers from Trump Admin About ICE Conduct, TSA Cooperation at DIA & Other Airports

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senators John Hickenlooper and Michael Bennet joined U.S. Senator Jacky Rosen and six of their Senate colleagues to demand answers from the Trump administration about recent Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) actions in airports. This inquiry comes after a string of incidents nationwide, in which ICE agents - with apparent cooperation from TSA - have targeted people at airports, including at Denver International Airport.

"We write to express our serious concerns regarding recent immigration enforcement actions at airports across the nation conducted by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), with the apparent assistance and support of the Transportation Security Administration (TSA). Such actions create fear in our communities and cause disruption and distress to the traveling public," wrote the senators.

The senators continued: "Unfortunately, recent reporting by the New York Times indicates that troubling events like these are occurring frequently across the nation at America's airports. Such actions have only served to disrupt local communities, create fear among immigrant families, and undermine the travel and tourism sector by actively discouraging travelers from visiting the United States. They hurt our nation's travel and tourism industry at a time when it is trying to rebound from a 5.5% decline in international tourism in 2025 that occurred due to President Trump's misguided tariff, immigration, and foreign policies."

For the full text of the letter, click HERE.

Earlier this week, Hickenlooper visited the ICE detention center in Aurora where he criticized the administration's immigration enforcement efforts and lack of transparency surrounding reported tuberculosis cases at the facility.

Hickenlooper has been outspoken in the face of ICE's lawlessness and demanded a top-to-bottom overhaul of the agency to stop ICE from terrorizing our communities. Hickenlooper also voted against the DHS funding bill because it failed to overhaul ICE. He has consistently pushed for more oversight and transparency for federal immigration enforcement efforts, and has worked to help families desperately searching for loved ones arrested by ICE. In January, Hickenlooper spoke on the Senate floor to denounce the horrifying killings of Alex Pretti and Renee Good, condemn the reports that families in Eagle County found "death cards" left in the cars of family members taken by ICE agents, and to demand the overhaul of ICE. He's shown up at ICE facilities previously to conduct congressional oversight visits and raise concerns about ICE disregarding due process. He helped launch an investigation into ICE's unlawful obstruction of congressional oversight and introduced bills to ban ICE from wearing masks, prevent immigration enforcement from targeting schools, hospitals, polling locations, and places of worship, and cut back the excessive funding that MAGA Republicans gave them. Following the shooting at the Aurora ICE facility by a GEO Group employee, Hickenlooper condemned the shooting and called for a thorough review of DHS policies to help prevent similar incidents.

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