ICE deportation flight observed at MSP

Nov 19 Twin Cities 1 source

A Minnesota Reformer reporter and photographer documented about 20 ICE detainees in shackles boarding a Key Lime Air charter on the MSP tarmac the morning of Nov. 12, 2025, as three unmarked vans delivered them under federal escort. The Metropolitan Airports Commission said federal law prevents MSP from restricting such operations and that it receives no advance notice of non‑commercial flights; one detainee described being flown to Louisiana before removal to Ecuador amid an uptick in deportations.

Public Safety Transit & Infrastructure

📌 Key Facts

Nov. 12, 2025: roughly 20 detainees loaded in shackles onto a Key Lime Air plane at MSP
Three unmarked white vans escorted detainees to a back‑of‑airport tarmac gate
MAC says it cannot restrict access for public/private operators and is not notified of such flights
Detainee account: routed via Louisiana detention center before flight to Ecuador
Report notes increased deportation activity and new efforts to obscure flight tracking

📰 Sources (1)

‘We know had no idea where we were going’: Deportees pass through MSP

Minnesota Reformer by Madison McVan November 19, 2025