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ICE Arrests Southwest Airlines Flight Attendant at Nashville Airport

A Department of Homeland Security spokesperson said the flight attendant was arrested by ICE on July 14, and will stay in ICE custody while his immigration case proceeds.

Rudy Blalock

Published: 7/24/2026, 11:31:48 PM EDT

ICE Arrests Southwest Airlines Flight Attendant at Nashville Airport — A Southwest Airlines plane approaches to Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport near Alexandria, Va., on Dec. 24, 2025. (Ken Cedeno/Reuters)

A Southwest Airlines flight attendant was taken into custody by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) while on duty as federal officials confirmed the arrest was tied to an immigration violation.

A Department of Homeland Security spokesperson identified the detained flight attendant as Lorenzo Thompson, a Jamaican national, according to a statement provided to NTD News.

According to the spokesperson, Thompson entered the United States on April 17, 2021, on a visa that was set to expire on Oct. 16, 2021, but he remained in the country after that date in violation of immigration law.

The spokesperson added that Thompson was arrested by ICE on July 14, and will stay in ICE custody while his immigration case proceeds. The department encouraged people living in the country illegally to self-deport, saying the government is offering $2,600, and a free flight to those who use the CBP Home App.

"Being in detention is a choice," the spokesperson said, warning that those who do not take the offer "will be arrested and deported without a chance to return.”

The Union of Southwest Airlines Flight Attendants, TWU Local 556, said in a statement that it learned one of its members had been detained by ICE while at work. The union said its top priority is standing with and supporting its members, adding that "every Member deserves to be treated with dignity and respect.”

According to the union, TWU Local 556 has been in contact with the detained member's family and is coordinating with an attorney retained by the member as well as the union's own legal counsel to understand the circumstances of the case and provide support.

The union also acknowledged that family and friends of the member have organized a fund to help cover legal expenses, which is being shared publicly on social media by other union members. Additionally, the union said its Critical Incident Stress Management team is available to provide confidential peer support to any members affected by the incident, and can be reached at (214) 640-4380.

ICE Expands Airport Presence

The arrest comes amid an expanded ICE presence at airports nationwide, a deployment that border czar Tom Homan has described as a "security function" aimed at criminal illegal immigrants, human trafficking, sex trafficking, and money smuggling.

Homan said ICE personnel are working alongside TSA and DHS staff, and he was tasked by President Donald Trump with leading the airport security effort to help TSA amid a federal funding crisis.

According to Homan, the ICE presence at airports has already reduced wait times in security lines, with the effort "filling the holes" left by TSA staffing shortages, he said at the time. Trump has said that arresting immigration violators is not the primary purpose of the deployment, telling reporters "that's not why they're there," though he acknowledged it as "very fertile territory.”