Shackled detainees shuffling across the Akron-Canton Airport tarmac have pushed a once-invisible aviation operation straight into the middle of Ohio’s immigration fight. As Haitian immigrants brace for the loss of Temporary Protected Status, Akron-Canton (CAK) keeps hosting charter flights tied to federal immigration enforcement, even as airport officials insist they are in the business of runways, not removals.
Those tensions spiked after photos surfaced last Tuesday of detainees stepping off an unmarked bus with their hands bound before boarding an Eastern Air Express jet. According to the Akron Beacon Journal, as reported by News 5 Cleveland, more than 130 Eastern Air Express flights have landed at CAK since late April. The charter company works with federal immigration officials, and AvFlight, a private fixed-base operator at the airport, has been servicing the planes.
Why CAK Says It Cannot Simply Shut The Door
Airport leaders say there is not much they can legally do to turn those planes away. CAK operates as a federally supported public-use facility, which comes with strings attached. The Federal Aviation Administration requires airport sponsors that accept federal money to keep facilities available to government aircraft on the same basis as other users, while maintaining safe and efficient operations.
In practice, that means Akron-Canton is not the agency ordering arrests or deportations, but it is also not in a position to refuse aircraft chartered for federal government purposes. Airport officials oversee the runway and infrastructure, while private tenants on the field handle the ground services for flights arranged by federal agencies…