DHS Uses Small Texas Airport to Disperse Illegal Immigrants Released from Detention

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is quietly using a small regional airport in central Texas to disperse large groups of illegal immigrants throughout the U.S. after releasing them from detention facilities in other parts of the state, city and federal sources confirm. Local authorities in the city where this is occurring, Abilene, are being kept in the dark and a federal lawmaker is demanding an end to the “reckless and irresponsible practice” as well as answers from DHS after a series of local news reports exposed the covert operation.

Abilene is located about 180 miles west of Dallas and has a population of around 120,000. The area’s airport is run by the city and its transportation director reveals in a news story that local officials are not aware of what exactly is going on with the illegal immigrant flights. The airport is only given 24 to 48 hours of notice before flights arrive, according to Abilene Director of Transportation Don Green, who verifies the planes are private charters from Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), the DHS agency in charge. The Texas news conglomerate, which also publishes reports in Spanish, writes that it “shot video of strange activity at the airport” and includes the footage on its website. It shows immigrants exiting unmarked planes, getting frisked, then boarding buses. Some footage includes buses arriving at the airport where immigrants are seen getting off and boarding planes to different parts of the U.S.

Republican Jodey Arrington, who represents the area in the U.S. House, says the flights have been coming into Abilene Airport for some time and his office has contacted ICE for more information but the agency has essentially blown him off. The congressman also reveals that he has called numerous local officials and not one has been notified by the federal government of the covert ICE operations at Abilene Airport. That includes county commissioners, judges, city mayors and state legislators who are being kept in the dark by ICE and DHS about the activity. In response to the news organization’s inquiry, ICE issued a statement saying that Abilene Airport is used to facilitate detainee transfers in accordance with operational needs and assures the agency is “committed to ensuring that all those in our custody reside in safe, secure, and humane environments and under appropriate conditions of...

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