- Human rights groups will protest ICE removal flights at Akron-Canton Regional Airport on August first.
- Over one hundred thirty flights have shifted to Akron-Canton due to construction at Youngstown-Warren airport.
- The protest occurs as the Department of Homeland Security expands immigration enforcement at domestic airports.
A coalition of Northeast Ohio human rights organizations will protest ICE removal flights Aug. 1 at Akron-Canton Regional Airport, demanding that the operations stop. The demonstration is scheduled from 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. at the entrance, 5400 Lauby Road in North Canton.
The group, called Stop ICE Flights, says the airport has become a Midwest deportation hub. Organizers point to more than 130 Eastern Air Express flights linked to ICE that have landed there since late April 2026.
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The flights shifted to CAK as construction and repaving continue at Youngstown-Warren Regional Airport, which previously handled the operations. Activists say the increase has happened with little public attention.
The protest comes as federal officials defend expanded immigration enforcement at airports and broader removal operations. A Department of Homeland Security spokesperson said the administration would restrict domestic air travel by people it says are unlawfully in the United States.
"DHS reversed the horrendous Biden-era policy that allowed aliens in our country illegally to jet around our country. Under President Trump, DHS will no longer tolerate this. This administration is working diligently to ensure that aliens in our country illegally can no longer fly unless it is out of our country to self-deport."
Federal officials defend airport enforcement as protests grow
The statement, issued July 29, followed increased immigration arrests at domestic airports and growing scrutiny of cooperation between the Transportation Security Administration and ICE. A May 2025 agreement expanded information sharing between the agencies.
Watchdog groups said documents obtained in July 2026 show TSA has shared passenger data with ICE for immigration enforcement. The disclosures have been linked to more arrests at airport security checkpoints.
DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin described the administration’s position on immigration protests during congressional testimony in June. He said he had "zero tolerance" for protesters who "verbally assault our officers" or "assault our property," while adding that he was "OK with protest" when demonstrations remain "in a peaceful way, in a legal area."
The planned action is also unfolding alongside a wider Ohio enforcement campaign. ICE launched Operation Buckeye in December 2025, describing its target as "the worst of the worst" criminal aliens.
U.S. Rep. Joyce Beatty sent DHS a formal letter July 1 condemning the campaign’s expansion into central Ohio. She cited reports of ICE agents "overstepping their legal authority" and "racial profiling."
ICE flights have expanded beyond Ohio
Data from ICE Flight Monitor shows deportation flights rose 84% in 2025 compared with 2024. The network includes subcontracted charter operators Eastern Air Express, GlobalX and Avelo Airlines.
| Flight operation detail | Figure or fact |
|---|---|
| Flights linked to ICE landing at CAK since late April 2026 | Over 130 |
| Increase in deportation flights in 2025 compared with 2024 | 84% |
| Operators identified in the charter network | Eastern Air Express, GlobalX and Avelo Airlines |
| Previous Ohio airport handling the operations | Youngstown-Warren Regional Airport |
The removal flights are part of a broader policy push. On July 27, USCIS announced a rule change intended to reduce the asylum backlog by streamlining removal proceedings for people deemed to have no legal basis to remain in the country.
Assistant Secretary Lauren Bis defended a separate ICE removal action in a July 29 statement. She tied the case to a fatal vehicle collision in Florida and said authorities had sought an ICE detainer.
"This senseless tragedy was 100% preventable because these illegal aliens should have NEVER been in the country. One death at the hands of an illegal alien is one too many. ICE has lodged a detainer asking officials. to turn [them] over to ICE custody so that [they] can be removed from our country."
Advocates cite restraints and uncertainty in Northeast Ohio
Immigration advocates have raised concerns about detainee transfers at CAK, including the reported use of "six-point shackles." The flights have also intensified anxiety in the region’s Haitian community as residents face the potential loss of Temporary Protected Status, or TPS.
Akron Mayor Shammas Malik introduced legislation in February 2026 opposing state bills that would require local police to cooperate with ICE. Malik argued that those measures "blurs the line between local law enforcement and federal immigration enforcement."
The Aug. 1 demonstration will take place at the airport entrance rather than inside the terminal. Organizers are calling for an immediate end to the removal flights operating from the facility.
The protest is set for Saturday, Aug. 1, five days after the latest DHS statement on airport enforcement and amid the airport construction that redirected the flights to CAK.
