Is it possible for undocumented immigrants to take domestic flights in the United States without risking arrest by immigration authorities? No one is able to answer this question for certain. All the specialists I interviewed, who have either direct or indirect knowledge of domestic air travel, had similar answers: “Some are lucky and others are not. There’s about a 50 percent chance of being arrested.”

As we know, travelers must present some form of identification to fly from one state to another. This ID does not have to be a U.S. passport, green card, or valid state ID (officially issued by the DMV). In most cases, airport workers assigned to domestic flights accept student IDs, debit cards with photographs, and foreign passports issued by other governments. The point is to confirm identity.

Nevertheless, as data from the National Immigration Forum show, almost 90 percent of undocumented immigrants in the United States are very frightened to fly. Practically all of them are convinced that their flight from say New York to Florida, will inevitably end in their arrest at the airport, followed by a stay in immigration jail and deportation to their native country.

This year some travel agencies in states bordering Mexico have been caught transporting undocumented immigrants to other states. These agencies really did not do anything illegal. They simply conveyed undocumented immigrants to Los Angeles or New York in comfortable sightseeing buses for the small fee of $200.

“It’s becoming harder and harder for us to catch illegal immigrants trying to escape the Arizona-New Mexico-Texas triangle,” said Lyndon Graves from the Arizona Department of Public Safety. “We took over the airports, but now local travel agencies are abetting border crossers by providing them with transportation over land.”

Arizona airports have long been known for their strict rules for checking the immigration status of passengers. Crews on domestic flights have frequently been accused of prejudice and open racism.

“These people have no connection with immigration authorities whatsoever, but they do not deny themselves the pleasure of detaining yet another undocumented immigrant who has shown an authentic international driver’s license,” explained Wolf Larion, an American from the Association of Immigration Consultants. “I am astounded that some passengers are not even asked for IDs. Apparently it is enough to look American and speak English well. Mexicans start having problems right away. First, they have to answer dozens of leading questions and then immigration is called in.”

Jacob Stein, a human rights advocate from California, is convinced that airport employees should be prohibited from questioning passengers on domestic flights about their immigration status.

“Imagine that you went to a restaurant and the waiter started asking you personal questions with a malicious smirk on his face. Naturally you’d be outraged. After all, he’s not a D.A. or a judge. He’s service personnel. So why are airport employees interested in a passenger’s status, when all they have to do is verify the passenger’s identity?”

I am in no way defending or justifying the actions of undocumented immigrants, as many of our conservative readers may think. It’s just that the campaign against illegal immigration must be waged legally. Domestic U.S. air lines can provide a subtle way of trapping thousands of undocumented immigrants and putting them in immigration jails.

The Spanish-language newspaper El Diario La Prensa recounts the story of 57-year-old Alita Francesca, who had to leave Pittsburg urgently for Chico, California because her son had been critically injured in an accident. The flustered woman had only two choices: she could spend several days traveling by bus or take a plane. Francesca naturally chose the second option, but she never got to see her son. She was detained at the airport in California when she was asked for her foreign passport containing an expired U.S. visa (she had, incidentally, entered the U.S. legally).

“You are in the country illegally. Please step to the side,” were the only words that the airport employee directed at her. Several minutes later, Alita Francesca was led away by employees of an entirely different department.

Hundreds of participants in Internet forums where the issue of the undocumented and air travel has been raised agree that employees at domestic airports work closely with immigration authorities. Naturally, this close relationship is not advertised, making the entrapment of undocumented immigrants beneficial to both the airports and the immigration authorities.

“Note that the arrests are practically always made at the destination,” writes a participant named Donovan. “This means that someone has informed the appropriate authorities of their status while they are in flight. When I was leaving the airport in Virginia, all the Latinos from the flight were being asked for their documents. Two people, who spoke English poorly, were led into an office for closer questioning. I wonder why they weren’t so closely examined before they were allowed on the plane?”

Another user addressed airport employees: “You can prevent undocumented immigrants from boarding if you think that they may be dangerous. That is your legal right. But you can’t ruin a person’s life by reporting them to U.S. Customs and Border Protection or the Department of Homeland Security. Learn to play by the rules.”

For their part, airport employees use the war on ever-present terrorism to justify their actions.

“Fake IDs abound in our country,” explained Kirk Richards, an employee at an airport in Michigan. “Some local flights lack the equipment needed to distinguish fake IDs from real ones. Of course, we note a person’s behavior and speech in addition to checking their IDs. I won’t hide that in extremely suspicious cases, we will sometimes call in the immigration authorities as a precaution. We do not want to let potential terrorists on board.”

The fate of an immigrant planning to take a flight depends partially on the political views and even the mood of airport employees. One undocumented immigrant shared her experience on the forum.

“When we were going through security in New Jersey, the airport worker smiled a lot and seemed happy for some reason. He quickly glanced at our ticket, ignored our IDs, and asked if we had any children. Upon learning that we did, he wished us good luck and a good flight.”

So flying domestically turns out to be just one more unpleasant and risky lottery for undocumented immigrants in the United States. They may be welcomed on board with a smile, but greeted at their destination with open handcuffs.