by Toby Sackton
Editor’s note: Here’s a great example of how local groups can gather information on a community issue, build a coalition to work on it, attract media attention, and even move the governor to act.
The December Boston Globe article (paywalled) examining Immigration and Customs Enforcement charter flights departing from Hanscom Field was the result of months of organizing, research and coalition-building by Lexington Alarm! and Indivisible groups across the region. Far from being a sudden media moment, the story reflected a growing public effort to create transparency and accountability regarding the use of a Massachusetts state facility for immigration enforcement operations.
Collecting information, building a coalition
The issue first gained momentum after Lexington Alarm! brought a Freedom of Information Act request to the Hanscom Field Advisory Commission. It revealed Massport had knowledge of ICE-related charter flights at Hanscom but was not sharing that information with the commission. This lack of disclosure raised the possibility that Massport was deliberately keeping information about ICE flights from the commission, which argued that activities with profound consequences for Massachusetts residents were occurring without adequate public oversight.
At the same time, a broad coalition of organizations started a weekly Friday De-ICE Hanscom standout coordinated and sponsored by nine local groups. The primary organizers came from Lexington Alarm!, Concord Indivisible, Greater Assabet Indivisible Network and Maynard Indivisible, with the support of IndivisibleLAB, Jewish Alliance for Law and Social Action, Boston Workers Circle and Lincoln Witness. Attendance at the standouts ranged from several dozen to nearly 100 people, even in difficult weather conditions, underscoring sustained community engagement.
We all agreed from the very beginning that standing out at the Hanscom Rotary every week was not sufficient. We wanted a follow-on action. With the commission’s request for ICE flight data and our desire to increase public scrutiny, Lexington Alarm! and partner organizations launched a coordinated letter-writing campaign directed at Massport executives, the Massport board of directors, and Gov. Maura Healey.
Making it simple to message
To make participation easy and accessible, we developed an online tool, so individuals could send letters directly to Massport and the governor electronically and via regular mail. Because the governor does not accept direct email, the tool enables users to paste a prepared letter — with the option to personalize it — into the state’s intake system. People were also encouraged to mail physical letters to reinforce the message.
As of this week, over 1,740 letters and emails have been sent. This response demonstrated that concern about ICE flights from Hanscom extended well beyond Lexington and involved residents across multiple communities.
Feeding information to the media makes their job easier
Through this organizing, the Boston Globe learned of the issue and assigned the story to reporter Laura Crimaldi. She spoke with representatives from Lexington Alarm! and coalition partners to understand the scope of the flights and the local response they had generated.
Central to the reporting was data compiled by Human Rights First, a nationally recognized organization that tracks ICE flight activity across the country. Advocates had requested Human Rights First’s records for ICE charter flights departing from Hanscom between January and November, identifying approximately 114 flights during that period. Using standard estimates of passenger capacity, advocates concluded that as many as 6,000 people may have been removed from Massachusetts via Hanscom during that time.
As part of her reporting, Crimaldi asked Human Rights First to extend its analysis further back, to 2020, to assess trends over time. That expanded review showed a substantial increase in the number of flights, validating our contention that Hanscom was a major part of ICE detainee removal operations nationwide.
The Globe also sought to independently document the flights. Members of the coalition who routinely monitor ICE flight movements alerted the reporter and a Globe photographer that an ICE charter flight was scheduled to arrive. They met at a publicly accessible vantage point near the airport, allowing the paper to obtain photographs of the aircraft, later published in the article.
Turning the spotlight on elected officials
As the story developed, Crimaldi contacted the governor’s office for comment. By then, the administration was already aware of public concerns about Hanscom thanks to the letter campaign and direct conversations between the governor’s staff and coalition members. When it became clear that the Globe article was imminent, the governor’s office sent its first public letter to DHS demanding a halt to ICE flights from Hanscom.
Advocates welcomed Healey’s statement, particularly her acknowledgment that Massachusetts residents were being removed without due process of law, often within hours of arrest and in ways that were causing significant harm to families and communities. The language in the letter closely echoed concerns raised repeatedly by our organizations, and we viewed her statement as an important validation of our concerns.
Thinking ahead to next steps
At the same time, Lexington Alarm! and its partners emphasized that a letter alone would not resolve the underlying problem. ICE will likely ignore Healey’s letter or falsely claim that it honors due process. ICE operations in Massachusetts are unlikely to change without concrete action at the state level. The coalition is now focusing on steps that Massachusetts authorities can take using their own legal authority.
Lexington Alarm! completed research on how Hanscom Field was developed as an airport for small regional airplanes and how the use of large planes there by ICE may be illegal under Massachusetts laws and regulations. Use of Hanscom is limited to airplanes with 60 seats or less, and the ICE charters are clearly violating this restriction.
Massport has claimed it can’t take action due to federal preemption. That is generally true. No local airport has been able to regulate capacity or airplane size since the Aircraft Noise Control Act of 1990 (ANCA). But that act contained a grandfather clause. The 1980 Hanscom regulation is fully protected under that law from federal preemption, meaning Massport is free to enforce its 60-seat regulation for its intended purpose: to reduce noise in the area by keeping large planes out of Hanscom Field, with some exceptions. Other airports grandfathered in this way, such as Santa Monica and John Wayne airports in California, have won lawsuits against the FAA and were able to preserve their local regulatory rights.
The Globe article highlighted two interconnected realities: the scale of ICE flight activity at Hanscom, documented through credible national research, and the depth of local opposition emerging across Massachusetts. Together, these factors have elevated the issue to a matter of statewide public concern.
You can help — right now
We’ve launched round two of our letter campaign to the governor and Massport — and you can help. Send a quick email using our online form or send a formal letter to all members of the Massport board and the governor urging them to end ICE flights by using the law currently in place and grandfathered under ANCA.
If you want to dive deeper, read our 60-seat research document here.
This story was originally published in a slightly different form on Lexington Alarm!
Toby Sackton is president of Lexington Alarm!
