Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) have been tasked with a taller order than they have had in decades past. Under the Trump administration, the agency is tasked with deporting millions upon millions of illegal aliens, who never had a right or reason to be in the United States to begin. It is a task that has been hampered at every step by foreign born judges, lunatic protestors, and even large companies.

New reports from the Wall Street Journal highlight a July 25th incident regarding Southwest Airlines, where an ICE agent tried boarding a flight in Dallas. That agent, according to the outlet, was prevented from carrying out his duties by the airline. It was also alleged that Southwest staff refused to share passenger information with ICE.

The Journal also cited an unnamed source, which claimed similar incidents involving Southwest have taken place. In the meantime, Southwest has publicly pushed back, saying they follow the law and want to provide travelers a safe experience. But nevertheless, the allegations are serious.

Former acting ICE Director Jonathan Fahey says this is especially troubling if the airline is treating an ICE arrest differently from other agencies.

"If that is the case, there are some real issues there, because then it would appear they are trying to keep illegal aliens in the country," he says.

In their public retort, the airline said they have policies in place to ensure "appropriate legal documentation is presented by law enforcement before any information about passengers is shared." Passenger privacy is always a concern, especially in a day and age of hackers and opportunists.

"But are they treating immigration cases differently than other cases for a political reason? If they have a privacy reason for not turning these things over, that might be a different story," says Fahey. "However, there has been a lot of negative publicity about these ICE arrests at airports...but this is what they are supposed to be doing."

There is nothing wrong or illegal about ICE arresting an illegal alien on a plane. First off, trying to time an arrest while relying on TSA lines is borderline impossible. Second, it is a confined space with no place to run. But most importantly, it stops them before they can flee to another city, further evading rightful and deserved deportation.

Of course, not disrupting passengers' experience is critical for Southwest, or any airline. So, you can understand not wanting a potentially violent arrest in the middle of a small, packed tube. However, airlines can avoid that by simply cooperating with federal law enforcement.

"They could possibly resuce any disruptions by providing more information on the front-end as well," Fahey says.

Southwest Airlines did not respond to KTRH's request for comment.

San Antonio's First News