PORTSMOUTH, N.H.— An OMNI Air International plane carrying about 100 Immigration Customs and Enforcement detainees was stranded in a blizzard at Portsmouth International Airport starting at 1 a.m. Monday giving only 15 minutes notice of arrival.
The plane was still on the tarmac at 8 p.m. Monday showing no signs of leaving soon, but the detainees had been allowed inside the terminal after 12 or 13 hours.
Pease Development Authority spokesman Tiffany Eddy said any operational questions about this flight should be directed to Port City Air (PCA) the ground handler, and Omni Air. They didn’t answer the phone.
“Portsmouth International Airport (PSM) was not advised that this flight was inbound, despite our proactive outreach prior to the storm to account for all airlines planning to use the airport,” Eddy said.
“Had we been informed in advance of their intent to land at PSM during the blizzard, we would have strongly advised against it and encouraged them to divert to another airport not being impacted by this severe winter storm,” Eddy said.
John Corbett, Gov. Kelly Ayotte’s spokesman, didn’t respond to InDepthNH.org’s request for comment, but he did tell the media that Ayotte was aware of the grounded flight and said she had been in contact with Pease Development Authority and was tracking the situation.
Stefany Shaheen of Portsmouth, a Democratic candidate for 1st District Congressional seat, said “From the proposed ‘human warehouse’ in Merrimack to this grounded flight at Pease – ICE’s growing footprint in New Hampshire is defined by poorly planned and reckless actions…
“DHS once again failed to communicate with local officials, and is refusing to provide even the most basic answers to the public,” Stefany Shaheen said.
Kim Herdman Shapiro, spokesperson for No ICE NH, said the last-minute landing during a blizzard “really shook a lot of people up to see an example like this.”
Jo Jordon of No ICE NH, said: “This incident is a textbook example of ICE’s operational cruelty and rank incompetence. To force a flight into a blizzard shows a complete disregard for the safety of the flight crew and airport ground staff. To leave human beings warehoused on a tarmac for hours reveals a system that does not see them as people. This is not simply a logistical error; it is a feature of ICE’s inhumane mission.”
No ICE NH is a grassroots coalition of volunteer organizations working together to support the immigrant community and oppose unlawful and inhumane immigration enforcement practices.
New Hampshire’s Congressional delegation, Sens. Jeanne Shaheen, Maggie Hassan, and Congressmen Maggie Goodlander and Chris Pappas — all Democrats — didn’t respond to request for comment from InDepthNH.org