Key keywords: US airport domestic detention, 2024 increased airport detention reports, CBP domestic travel stops, civil rights airport racial profiling, domestic passenger legal rights, U.S. airport immigration enforcement, domestic US travel advisory First issued by a coalition of 12 national civil rights and immigrant advocacy groups on July 16, 2024, this practice alert documents an alarming 78% year-over-year rise in reported detentions of individuals traveling on purely domestic U.S. flights between April and June 2024, with cases recorded at 37 major commercial airports across 22 states. Unlike standard customs screenings reserved for international arrivals, the documented detentions occur at domestic boarding gates, baggage claim areas, and even in-airport public spaces, conducted by U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) agents with no prior indication of suspected criminal activity. Data collected by the advocacy coalition shows that 62% of detained individuals are lawful permanent residents, 18% are Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) recipients, 12% are naturalized U.S. citizens, and 8% are U.S.-born citizens, disproportionately belonging to Latino, Black, Asian, and Middle Eastern communities. Multiple verified case studies are included in the alert: a 32-year-old Mexican-American U.S. citizen traveling from Austin to Chicago for a work conference was detained for 2 hours at Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport in May, after agents refused to accept his valid Texas driver’s license as identification and demanded proof of U.S. citizenship. He was released only after a family member emailed a copy of his birth certificate to the on-site CBP supervisor, and he missed his scheduled flight with no compensation offered. Another case involves a 24-year-old DACA recipient traveling from Los Angeles to Seattle for a college graduation, who was detained for 3.5 hours at Los Angeles International Airport in June, with agents providing no formal reason for the stop and denying his request to contact his lawyer for the first 90 minutes of his detention. CBP officials have issued a public statement claiming that all domestic stops are targeted at individuals with active arrest warrants or prior deportation orders, but coalition data shows that 72% of detained individuals in the second quarter of 2024 had no outstanding warrants or immigration violations on record. Civil rights groups argue that these stops violate the Fourth Amendment’s protection against unreasonable search and seizure, as well as federal prohibitions on racial profiling. The alert includes updated travel guidance for domestic passengers: individuals are advised that they are not required to show immigration documents for domestic travel, may ask if they are free to leave if stopped by agents, and have the right to contact legal counsel if placed in detention. The coalition has also filed a formal request with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and the Department of Transportation to launch a full investigation into the rise in unlawful domestic detentions, and to implement new policies limiting CBP’s authority to conduct routine stops on domestic travelers with no suspected criminal activity.