Overview
- An Omni Air International Boeing 767 from Harlingen, Texas, landed at Portsmouth International Airport at Pease around 1 a.m. Monday during a blizzard.
- Portsmouth airport officials said they received only about 15 minutes’ notice and would have advised diverting to an airport outside the storm.
- Port City Air said the Department of Homeland Security makes ICE-flight decisions and that it is legally required to service arriving aircraft, while airport officials said the company must plan for weather contingencies.
- Detainees remained on the tarmac for roughly 12–13 hours, received food on board, and were allowed into the small terminal at about 2 p.m.
- DHS and ICE did not respond to requests for comment as the governor’s office monitored the situation, and flight-tracking data listed an onward route to Sofia, Bulgaria, though the detainees’ final destination was not confirmed.