A left-leaning political organization based in Twin Falls has been documenting federal immigration enforcement flights out of Joslin Field, Magic Valley Regional Airport since April 2026, tracking the removal of more than 160 detainees over that span.
Indivisible Twin Falls, a progressive advocacy group, has stationed members near the airport to observe and record Immigration and Customs Enforcement deportation operations. The group tracked 21 detainees boarding a flight on June 16 and observed 15 shackled detainees loaded onto a plane during a more recent observation. Flights have carried detainees to destinations including Washington state, Arizona, Las Vegas, Salt Lake City, and Orange County, California.
Volunteers Document Federal Enforcement Operations
Group member Shelly McDaniel has been observing the flights since May 2026. She described watching detainees — restrained in shackles — board planes before transport between airports and detention facilities across the country.
McDaniel expressed concern about what she described as a lack of due process for those being removed. “People are getting picked up. They’re not being allowed that due process, and they’re being taken away and without the ability to have a habeas corpus,” she said.
Habeas corpus is a foundational legal principle requiring law enforcement to bring a detained individual before a court and justify their imprisonment. Under current legal standards, if a habeas corpus petition is filed on the day of a detainee’s departure, ICE is required to return that person to their home state before the aircraft lands at its destination. President Trump explored the possibility of suspending habeas corpus protections during 2025, though that measure was not ultimately enacted.
The Trump administration has made aggressive immigration enforcement a centerpiece of its second term, directing ICE to expand operations nationwide. Twin Falls County, with its significant refugee resettlement history and immigrant workforce — including at facilities like the Chobani yogurt plant — has become a focal point for these activities in southern Idaho.
Legal Challenges and Jurisdictional Inconsistencies
Immigration attorney Nathan Fowler, founder of Destino Legal, highlighted what he sees as uneven legal outcomes for detainees depending on where they are flown. He pointed out that bond rulings for individuals with the same circumstances can differ dramatically based solely on geography.
“You go to Las Vegas, the court there says ‘Yes, we can authorize a bond.’ You go to Washington, they say ‘No, we cannot.’ Same circumstances, different geographical location,” Fowler said.
Fowler and advocates with Indivisible Twin Falls have raised broader concerns about what they describe as discriminatory practices by ICE, including allegations of targeting Hispanic citizens and lawful immigrants alongside those in the country illegally. Those claims are contested by federal immigration officials, who maintain that enforcement operations follow legal guidelines and target individuals without lawful status.
The use of regional airports like Joslin Field for deportation flights is part of a broader federal strategy to move detainees quickly through the immigration system and out of the country. Twin Falls is one of several smaller airports across the nation used for these operations, which allows ICE to avoid the congestion and public attention associated with major international hubs.
What Comes Next
Indivisible Twin Falls has indicated it will continue observing and documenting flights departing from Joslin Field. The group’s tracking efforts are part of a broader national movement by immigration advocacy organizations to maintain public visibility into federal deportation operations.
Legal advocates like Fowler are expected to continue advising affected individuals and families on their options, including filing habeas corpus petitions on the day of a scheduled flight to potentially block or delay removal. Whether Congress or the courts will further define the boundaries of ICE’s transportation and detention practices remains an open question as immigration enforcement cases continue to work through the federal judiciary.
For broader statewide coverage of Idaho immigration and political developments, visit Idaho News Network.