Healey Demands End to ICE Deportation Flights from Hanscom Field
Massachusetts Governor Maura Healey is intensifying pressure on federal authorities to cease the use of Hanscom Field, a regional airport near Boston, for private deportation flights. The governor’s call for action comes amid growing concerns about due process and the treatment of individuals facing removal from the United States.
Governor Healey sent a formal letter on Friday to Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem and acting U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Director Todd Lyons, outlining her objections to the practice. She stated she recently learned that ICE-chartered planes are being utilized to “quickly remove residents and sever them from their friends, family, and counsel without due process of law.”
Rising Number of ICE Flights Raises Alarm
According to data published by the nonprofit group Human Rights First through its “ICE Flight Monitor”, the number of ICE flights departing from Hanscom Field is escalating rapidly. The group reports 114 flights through November 2025, a figure that represents more than double the number of flights recorded at the airport last year. This surge has fueled concerns among advocates and legal experts.
Healey’s letter emphasizes the impact on those being deported. “Flying these residents out of state and away from their support system and legal counsel – often within hours of arrest – is intentionally cruel and purposely obstructs the due process and legal representation they are owed,” she wrote. “This practice must stop.”
Concerns Over Lack of Criminal Convictions
A key point of contention raised by Governor Healey is that a “significant majority” of individuals arrested by ICE in Massachusetts over the past year have no criminal convictions or pending charges. This detail underscores the governor’s argument that the deportations are being carried out without adequate consideration for individual circumstances and legal rights.
ICE has previously defended its operations in Massachusetts, citing Operation Patriot 2.0 conducted in September. According to officials, approximately 600 of the 1,400 individuals detained during that operation had “significant criminal convictions or pending criminal charges for crimes committed in the United States or were known foreign fugitives.”
However, the governor’s office maintains that the broader trend indicates a troubling disregard for due process.
Hanscom Field and the Deportation Network
Hanscom Field, operated by Massport, primarily serves private and corporate aviation. Its location approximately 20 miles northwest of Boston makes it a convenient, though controversial, hub for ICE deportation operations. WBZ-TV reached out to ICE for comment regarding the flights on Monday but has yet to receive a response.
Governor Healey’s demand extends beyond Massachusetts, calling for a nationwide halt to the practice of using airports and private jets for deportations. She asserts that ICE must immediately cease utilizing any Massachusetts airports and obstruct due process, and to halt this practice across the country.
