Jose Antonio Vargas, who has won the Pulitzer Prize, is most known for his detailed chronicling of his life as a Filipino illegally living in the U.S.
The New York Times reports that Vargas was detained for most of the day by the Border Patrol.
One of the most high-profile advocates of immigration rights, Vargas was detained at a Border Patrol checkpoint in the airport as he prepared to board a flight in Texas.
His detainment comes as immigration becomes even more politically fraught in the midst of a crisis involving a flood of Central Americans crossing the border to flee violence.
Border Patrol later released Vargas, saying he had no immigration or criminal record.