Kansas City Airport Sees 200% Increase in ICE Deportation Flights
KCI has become a major hub for ICE deportation flights, with shackled detainees transported multiple times weekly through the airport.
KANSAS CITY, MISSOURI — Kansas City International Airport has become a hub for federal immigration enforcement flights, with deportation-related air traffic increasing more than 200% during the first year of the Trump administration.
At least once, and sometimes multiple times per week, flights carrying shackled immigration detainees in the custody of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement arrive or depart from KCI, according to data compiled by Human Rights First.
The increase in what officials call “ICE Air” operations has made Missouri a key player in the federal government’s expanded deportation campaign, though much of this activity occurs away from public view at the airport.
Shackled Detainees on Charter Flights
Most ICE flights use private charter companies through subcontractor agreements. Detainees are typically restrained with handcuffs, waist chains and leg irons during transport, according to the report.
“Behind every data point, every flight, is a person — someone separated from family in the United States, transferred across the country in shackles, or deported to a place where they may face danger,” said Savi Arvey, director of research and analysis for refugee protection at Human Rights First.
The organization produces the ICE Flight Monitor report, which tracks immigration enforcement flights nationwide.
Airport Cannot Restrict Federal Operations
Kansas City Aviation Department spokesperson Jackson Overstreet explained that KCI has no authority to limit these operations.
“KCI is a public-use airport subject to federal regulation,” Overstreet said. “KCAD cannot legally restrict access to KCI for public or private aircraft operations, including aircraft chartered for federal government purposes.”
The surge in deportation flights through Kansas City represents Missouri’s largely unseen role in the Trump administration’s immigration enforcement efforts, which have also included a near tripling of arrests statewide, according to reporting by the Midwest Newsroom.
Record-High National Levels
ICE Air flights reached record levels nationwide in March, with 1,794 documented flights across the country, according to Flight Monitor data released April 14.
The increase in Missouri contrasts with the more visible immigration enforcement activities, such as workplace raids and arrests in apartment parking lots or after check-ins at Kansas City’s immigration court.
Human Rights First’s data shows the airport operations have become the primary method for immigration enforcement in the region, even as other forms of detention and deportation activities continue throughout the metropolitan area.
