‘No one’s here, no one knows’: north-east Ohio is ground zero for ICE flights
Summary
In northeast Ohio, small regional airports like Youngstown-Warren and Akron-Canton have become key hubs for flights contracted by ICE under President Donald Trump’s deportation program. These airports handle hundreds of daily flights moving immigrants around the US before deporting them abroad, often away from public view. A recent safety incident involving one of these flights raised concerns about passenger protection.Key Facts
- Youngstown-Warren regional airport, which does not have commercial flights, had 398 ICE-contracted deportation flights last year.
- Akron-Canton regional airport and Youngstown-Warren combined have had about 300 ICE deportation shuttle flights so far this year.
- These flights typically move immigrants across the US before deporting them overseas, often connecting through Alexandria, Louisiana, which has multiple detention centers.
- Immigrants are bused from regional jails to these airports for deportation flights.
- A recent accident at Akron-Canton airport involved a collision between two Eastern Air Express planes, an airline contracted by ICE.
- No injuries occurred in the incident, but it raised safety concerns among advocacy groups monitoring ICE flights.
- Activists say these regional airports are used to keep deportation flights less visible to the public.
- Eastern Air Express is a Kansas City-based company and a primary contractor for ICE deportation flights.
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