ICE arrests at Philadelphia International evoke time when airport police helped military catch AWOL Vietnam War soldiers in 1960s

A local historian combed through a 1967 collection of police incident reports from Philadelphia’s airport police that included detentions of soldiers and veterans.

By: Menika Dirkson, Morgan State University, The Conversation

Outlets: The Conversation

Published: September 24, 2026

Words: 1,217

Last Updated: 3 weeks, 3 days ago

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By Menika Dirkson, Morgan State University

ICE ramped up its arrests of immigrants at major airports over the summer of 2026, including in Philadelphia, to help meet the Trump administration’s reported goal of apprehending 1,100 people daily.

The agency is collaborating with the Transportation Security Administration, its sister agency in the Department of Homeland Security. However, decades before TSA existed, local police were used in a similar fashion to help the …

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