ICE webcams rejected, Hanscom advisers to seek Air Force input
Advocates aren’t taking no for an answer when it comes to tracking immigration detainee flights.
Hanscom Field’s community advisers aren’t taking no for an answer when it comes to web cameras tracking immigration detainee flights.
Advocates say they’ve seen a “significant uptick” in recent Immigration and Customs Enforcement activity at Hanscom. With their camera request denied by Hanscom’s civilian director, Hanscom Field Advisory Commission members now want to hear what the Air Force has to say.
“We’re just asking Massport to stay out of the way,” member Christopher Eliot said during a September 15 meeting.
ICE’s use of Hanscom has spurred protests and a flurry of HFAC action in connection with President Donald Trump’s larger immigration crackdown.
Advocates are already tracking flights through a volunteer spotter network. They say web cameras would give them a better view of detainees being loaded onto planes and help families follow loved ones through the government’s detention center network.
HFAC asked for web cameras in an August letter to Hanscom’s quasi-public operator, Massport. Hanscom Director Christopher Willenborg responded exactly a month later, saying Massport “is unable to accommodate your request.”
Massport officials insist they aren’t involved in detainee transfers. As a result, Willenborg said, it’s “not feasible” to set up cameras that would record detainee movements.
He also cited security issues given the airport’s proximity to Hanscom Air Force Base.
Officials publicly released Willenborg’s letter in connection with HFAC’s September session. HFAC members found a silver lining as Willenborg clarified advocates’ rights to monitor flights in person from public parts of the airfield.
Eliot said advocates could pinpoint a location where they want cameras and try to get Air Force approval. If military officials sign off on a camera location, HFAC could bring the matter back to Massport.
“Let the Air Force speak for itself,” he said. “Massport shouldn’t be deciding what the Air Force’s concerns are.”
Colleagues endorsed this approach. Chair Margaret Coppe asked Eliot to relay the plan to ICE spotters. HFAC members expect to discuss the topic again next month.
Airport leaders say they can’t stop ICE from using their facilities. In his letter, Willenborg reiterated that Massport “strives to work collaboratively with HFAC.”
Despite their criticisms, HFAC members also extended their own olive branch during their latest meeting.
“Massport should have no dog in this fight,” Acton representative Terri Ackerman said this month. “We’re not trying to target Massport.”
