YPSILANTI, Mich. (Michigan News Source) — Willow Run Airport has taken on a new role: a regular departure point for immigration detainees moved through the federal deportation system.

Charter flights operated by private contractors working with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) began departing the Wayne County airport last spring, carrying detained immigrants to hubs in Texas and Louisiana. Data compiled by Human Rights First shows the flights ran several times a week through the second half of 2025 and continued into early 2026.

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Local activists are now urging the Wayne County Airport Authority to block the flights, though aviation attorneys say the authority lacks legal power to do so.

“As long as the carrier is operating legally, the airport doesn’t have the power to deny access based on who’s on board,” Troy-based aviation attorney Mark Schwartz said.

The Wayne County Airport Authority has said it is not involved in agreements between airlines and federal agencies and does not comment on specific flight operations.

While flights from Willow Run appear to be domestic transfers rather than direct deportations, many landed near major removal centers.

“Air Charter Operations transports detained aliens ordered removed from the United States to their countries of origin, and transfers detained aliens domestically throughout the United States to various ICE-managed detention facilities and staging areas via charter aircraft,” according to a statement from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.