Small Ohio airports become hidden hubs for ICE deportation flights
Youngstown-Warren and Akron-Canton regional airports in northeast Ohio are being used as primary departure points for ICE-contracted deportation flights, often operating out of sight of the public.
A Bombardier CRJ200 operated by Air Wisconsin touched down at Youngstown-Warren Regional Airport after a 75-minute flight from Milwaukee, joining an Eastern Air Express Boeing 737 that arrived earlier from Alexandria, Louisiana. Together, the two planes illustrate how the Trump administration’s deportation strategy relies on small, low-profile airports in northeast Ohio, which recorded 398 ICE-contracted flights last year and continue to see hundreds of movements this year, according to ICE Flight Monitor.
Community activist Erin Bracken-Sanchez monitors the activity, warning that the obscurity of these sites shields enforcement from public view. Safety issues surfaced when an Eastern Air Express plane struck a parked counterpart at Akron-Canton Regional Airport in September, an incident investigated by the Ohio State Highway Patrol but not taken up by the NTSB. The FAA has also proposed a $65,000 fine against Eastern Air Express for alleged drug-testing violations, adding to concerns about passenger safety on these chartered deportation flights.
Why it matters
The use of remote airports for ICE deportations raises transparency, safety, and community-impact questions across the U.S.
How this story developed
- Aug 13 San Antonio immigrants live in constant fear as ICE arrests surge
- Sep 20 A man was wounded after being shot by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers in North Austin, Texas, and taken to a local hospital.
- Sep 27 A federal judge scheduled a personal appearance for the man on September 30 and issued a temporary order halting his deportation.
- Sep 29 The U.S. Supreme Court granted the Justice Department’s emergency request, letting the Trump administration continue deporting migrants to third countries while the policy’s legality is examined.
- Sep 30 Supreme Court issued an emergency order allowing third‑country deportations to continue.
- Sep 30 An immigration judge ruled that Salah Sarsour, head of Wisconsin’s largest mosque, can be deported on national-security grounds despite his claim that the case targets his Palestinian-rights advocacy.
- Sep 30 The Justice Department lodged complaints with the 8th Circuit alleging that Minnesota federal judges made partisan statements about a Trump-era deportation surge.
- Oct 1 A federal indictment charging Garces Perez with assault was filed.
- Oct 3 The filing requests that the judges be barred from hearing Department of Homeland Security cases.
- Oct 3 A Chicago immigration judge allowed a possible deportation of Salah Sarsour.
- Oct 8 A person was shot by federal agents in Marble Hill, Bronx, and is now receiving treatment at a nearby hospital.
- Oct 9 ICE announced it will continue enforcement actions in New York City despite the shooting.
- Oct 10 Protests spread to Manhattan and lower Manhattan, drawing thousands of demonstrators.
- Oct 10 An off‑duty ICE agent was shot after allegedly assaulting a homeowner and his father in Fresno.
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