AKRON, Ohio — The Akron-Canton Regional Airport is facing a growing sum of unpaid landing fees from three air charter companies operating deportation flights for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). Invoices released recently show that Eastern Airlines, Global X, and Air Wisconsin collectively owe $46,513 for 148 landings since late April. Of that total, $33,927 is past due, covering landings in May, June, and July. Airport Vice President Lisa Dalpiaz stated that the charter companies have not communicated with the airport regarding these late fees.
Through September 17, the total number of landings had reached 167 since ICE shifted its deportation flight operations to Akron-Canton from Youngstown-Warren Regional Airport, which partially closed its longest runway for repairs. Akron-Canton has since become a central hub for these operations in the Great Lakes region, according to observations. Planes typically land in the evening, often originating from a major ICE prison and deportation center in Alexandria, Louisiana, and on occasion directly from Tapachula, Mexico, a common endpoint for many deportees. Flight activity can be tracked via FlightAware.com.
The aircraft utilize the tarmac of Avflight, a Michigan-based private contractor providing Fixed Base Operator services at the airport's northwest corner. Records provided by Airport Vice President James Krum show Eastern Airlines owed $41,900 for 136 Boeing 737 landings during the first four months of operations, while Global X owed $2,657 for 13 Airbus landings in July and August. Air Wisconsin, which joined the flights in July, also has outstanding fees.
A particularly busy period, not yet reflected in current billing, occurred during the week spanning from the Friday before Labor Day weekend to the following Friday. Activity spiked on Wednesday, September 9, when a reporter observed three prison buses, transport vans from the Corrections Center of Northwest Ohio (west of Toledo) and Butler County Jail (near Dayton), federally licensed vehicles, and privately licensed black SUVs arriving to load an Eastern Air Express Boeing 737. That jet, according to FlightAware.com, would make a brief stop in Indianapolis before continuing to Alexandria, Louisiana. Three hours earlier, a Global X jet had departed for Alexandria from the same Avflight facility. Boeing 737s operated by Eastern Air Express and Airbus A320 and A319 aircraft flown by Global X and Air Wisconsin have capacities ranging from 125 to about 180 passengers.
The September 9 activity, one of the busiest days in at least the prior six weeks, drew a small group of protesters. Erin Bracken-Sanchez of Canton, a member of the Buckeye Veterans Coalition and a former member of the Army and Ohio Air National Guard, described the scene as "ominous" as she watched the deportation activities across the street from where she was once assigned at the Air National Guard station.
The heavy Labor Day week activity started unusually early on September 5, with a Global X Airbus A320 arriving from Alexandria and departing back within two hours. Typically, flights by Global X, Eastern Air Express, and Air Wisconsin arrive in the evening, remain overnight on the tarmac, and depart the following morning, according to observations. Since that busy week, traffic has reportedly lightened, with one Global X Airbus arriving directly from Tapachula, Mexico, on a Sunday remaining idle until Wednesday, and Eastern Air skipping two days.
Observations suggest a routine for departures, which most frequently occur between 8 and 11 a.m. A flight plan is filed hours before takeoff, workers arrive at Avflight for preparations, and then prison vehicles, ICE cars, and black SUVs with tinted glass arrive approximately 90 minutes before departure. Vehicles line up outside the gate until all have arrived, at which point the gate opens, allowing all vehicles onto the tarmac. Detainees' wrist and ankle binders are checked before boarding. Buses then move outside and remain until the plane departs, making it too late for a lawyer to extract a client.
A variety of transport vehicles have been observed, including those operated by the private prison company CoreCivic, a white unmarked "turtle top" bus from Butler County, and black Ford transit vans from Mahoning County. Ownership of county vehicles was confirmed by license plate checks through the Ohio Department of Public Safety, which are public record. U.S. government vehicles, including a transport van, have also been seen in recent weeks.
Attempts to obtain information from government agencies and private contractors have largely been met with the instruction to "talk to ICE," according to reports. On August 12, the Butler County sheriff acknowledged receiving questions about the logistics of transporting ICE prisoners on a nearly four-hour trip to Akron-Canton. After two weeks without a response, a lawyer for the sheriff, Jonathan Davidson, stated that only financial information submitted to ICE for transportation could be provided, with all other requests needing to be directed to ICE. Emails sent to ICE media relations have remained unanswered for over two weeks.
However, Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin, who traveled to Ohio Labor Day weekend for a meeting with police, ICE, and other federal authorities, announced 50,925 arrests across the country in August. The Springfield Sun-News reported that Mullin also disclosed 380 arrests in Springfield, although no timeframe for these arrests was given. Cleveland.com reported a one-day sweep of 51 people in Lorain County.
The Ohio Immigrant Alliance recently released a report indicating that 448 people were booked into four publicly owned county jails on behalf of ICE between July 27 and August 31. These jails include Butler County, which the report states accounts for more than two-thirds of all immigrant detentions, along with Mahoning County, the Corrections Center of Northwest Ohio, and the Seneca County Jail. Data from the Geauga County jail is not published online, and a privately run CoreCivic prison in Youngstown, a major immigrant detention facility, does not disclose its numbers.
The Akron-Canton Airport continues to await payment for the landing fees associated with these ICE transports.