Metro AtlantaA Venezuelan asylum-seeker and a U.S. citizen confused for a British immigrant were recently apprehended at the airport.Federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents patrol the hallways at the Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport during the partial government shutdown on Monday, March 23, 2026, in Atlanta. (Jason Getz/AJC)Aug 13, 2026Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport has been part of a reported increase in Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents at airports across the country. According to news reports, ICE has apprehended foreign nationals, and at least one U.S. citizen who was mistaken by agents for someone else, at the Atlanta airport. Late last month, The New York Times published an investigation detailing how federal agents had begun arresting immigrants with expired visas as they traveled through various U.S. airports. Previously, ICE only targeted travelers with deportation orders, the Times reported. People with expired visas lack legal status, even though it is possible for them to retain valid work permits. Many have pending applications for visa extensions or other forms of immigration relief, be it a green card or asylum. 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Hartsfield-Jackson has been part of a reported increase in ICE agents at airports across the country. 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