‘No one’s here, no one knows’: north-east Ohio is ground zero for ICE flights

North-east Ohio has become a focal point for the Trump administration's intensified deportation efforts, with Youngstown-Warren and Akron-Canton airports serving as key hubs for ICE flights. In just one recent weekday, a Bombardier CRJ200 landed from Milwaukee and took off toward Alexandria, Louisiana, contributing to the airports' role in the administration's deportation campaign.

Last year, these two airports saw a combined total of 398 "shuffle" and direct deportation flights. This year, they have already surpassed that number, with approximately 300 flights each.

Local residents and advocates are concerned about the lack of transparency surrounding these flights. Erin Bracken-Sanchez, a military veteran and resident of Massillon, Ohio, has been monitoring the activity of the planes contracted by ICE. She fears that the use of smaller, less public airports may make it easier for the administration to target and deport more individuals, potentially bringing the threat closer to home.

These flights typically depart in the late morning, with detainees from region jails being transported by bus to the airports. From there, the planes fly to detention centers, primarily located in Alexandria, Louisiana. Some flights have even taken detainees directly to a small airport near the Mexican border with Guatemala. The intense flight activity has put a financial strain on these small airports, which have been grappling with declining revenues due to reduced commercial traffic.

Safety concerns regarding the airlines contracted by ICE have also come under scrutiny. On September 28, an Eastern Air Express plane struck the horizontal stabilizer of another Eastern Air Express aircraft at the Akron-Canton airport, though no injuries were reported. The Federal Aviation Administration had proposed a $65,000 fine for Eastern Air Express in July for failing to enforce random drug and alcohol testing for employees involved in safety-sensitive functions.

Despite the numerous concerns surrounding the use of these small airports for ICE flights, the Department of Homeland Security and ICE have not directly addressed questions about reviewing their safety requirements for contracted airlines. Meanwhile, the small airports are left bearing the brunt of increased costs, with landing fees typically paid by airlines now going unpaid due to changes in government operations.