Washington DC - The Trump administration is reportedly submitting the names of all airline passengers to federal immigration authorities in a bid to escalate deportations.

According to the New York Times, the Transportation Security Administration gives ICE a list multiple times per week of people who will be traveling through airports.

ICE then checks that list against its own records of people subject to deportation so they can be arrested at the airport.

The partnership between TSA and ICE, which both fall under the Department of Homeland Security, reportedly began in March.

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A former TSA official told the NYT that the agency previously did not get involved in domestic criminal and immigration matters.

The official also warned that immigration enforcement at airports could lead to travel delays and distract from security.

It is unclear how many arrests have resulted from the TSA-ICE cooperation. NYT did find records that it had led to the arrest of 19-year-old college student Any Lucía López Belloza, who was detained at Boston Logan Airport last month while trying to make a surprise visit to her family in Texas for Thanksgiving.

The Babson College freshman was deported to Honduras two days later, despite a court order barring her removal while her immigration case plays out.

"No one should have to worry that an airline trip to visit family or take a vacation could lead to being handcuffed and deported," said New York Immigration Coalition President and CEO Murad Awawdeh. "By funneling the names of all passengers to ICE, the administration is expanding its surveillance operation, turning regular travel into an instrument of intimidation."