Wilson Air Center
Coverage of Wilson Air Center in the Nexus archive.
- ‘The Bird-Watchers’ of Memphis: tracking ICE flights and documenting detainees In shackles
A group of volunteers called The Bird-Watchers tracks U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's flights at Wilson Air Center near Memphis. They document detainees being transported, often restrained in shackles and chains, from vans or buses onto aircraft. Activists criticize the practice, noting concerns over safety regulations, and highlighting the financial cycle involving ICE contractors and private prisons like CoreCivic.
- Memphis advocates call on private airport to stop servicing ICE detention flights
Memphis immigrant advocates are urging the Wilson Air Center to stop facilitating flights that transport detained immigrants out of the state. The group, Vecindarios 901, tracked 51 flights since March carrying detainees to Alexandria, Louisiana, where ICE operates a detention facility. Advocates argue these flights prevent immigrants from fighting deportation cases in Tennessee.