Federal border officials say they were looking for a fugitive, not doing a random immigration check, when they met a plane at New York City’s Kennedy Airport and asked passengers for their IDs.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection says in a statement that two of its officers met the Delta jet Wednesday evening after its flight from San Francisco in an attempt to find a specific person who had been ordered deported by an immigration judge.

At least two passengers tweeted photographs of the officers examining flier’s IDs, which generated speculation on social media that it might be a part of a new dragnet for illegal immigrants.

Customs and Border Protection says the person the officers were looking for was not on the plane.

(AP)