Residents tell council hundreds of people have been moved through Pease Airport on ICE flights; callers urge action

Several residents used the council’s public‑comment period Monday to tell elected officials they have documented the transport of people by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) through Pease International Airport and to urge local action. Sarah Cornell reported she and local organizers counted more than 400 people moved through Pease since Aug. 5, calling it “the size of a Portsmouth High School graduating class.” She said the detainees were transported in vans, shackled at wrists and ankles, and put on planes bound for destinations including Chicago, Louisiana, Texas and Florida, and that contractors at Pease assisted by carrying shackles for detainees. Klein Dickens and other speakers said organizers had observed masked agents and vans at Pease, witnessed children shackled and loaded onto planes on Aug. 19, and urged the council to use local authority to prevent the transfers. Dickens told the council it was “watching hundreds of people be trafficked through our city” and said the August 4 council resolution on due‑process rights had not led to further action. Several public commenters also focused on policing downtown and alleged selective enforcement of free‑speech rules; David Holt and Bert Cohen complained about how officers handled public demonstrations and requested improved police training. Council members did not take immediate formal action in response to the testimony. City staff previously provided a legal memo and the council has adopted a resolution recognizing due process; speakers asked the council to move beyond symbolic measures and seek concrete oversight, tracking or access to Pease operations. The council did not schedule a dedicated follow‑up at the meeting, but the testimony was entered into the public record.