TWIN FALLS, Idaho — Thirty-one people, shackled and being loaded onto an airplane — that's what I witnessed at Magic Valley Airport in Twin Falls.
A concerned citizens group gathers at the airport twice a week to witness ICE detainee transfers, raising concerns that detainees are being deported without due process.
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Shelly McDaniel has shown up at the Twin Falls airport every Tuesday and Thursday for the last five weeks to watch federal immigration detainees being loaded onto charter flights.
"And so far I've been out here since May 12, and as of June 16, I've counted 172 people," McDaniel said.
McDaniel is one of a handful of individuals who have concerns that detainees are being denied due process.
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"That's my concern, that they're people that are in my community that are being taken, and you know I don't see them with criminal records, you know I don't see that sort of thing going on," McDaniel said.
It is important to note that ICE detainees typically bypass local courts, facing federal immigration judges unless they also have pending state or local criminal charges.
McDaniel says by watching these detainees board chartered flights, she is hopeful that the information could potentially be helpful to immigration lawyers.
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According to the watchdog group Human Rights First, domestic transfer flights, also known as shuffle flights, almost doubled in 2026 compared to the year prior. The organization also says smaller regional airports like Twin Falls started being used in May.
Twin Falls spokesman Josh Palmer says the city is not apprised of how ICE uses Magic Valley Airport. He says ICE is a contractor in the same way the BLM or FedEx has used contracts at Joslin Field.
"Those are federal grants that we receive," Palmer said. "By receiving those, we can't discriminate against aircraft if it lands at our airport, including ICE aircraft."
Palmer also said the city is not financially supporting ICE activities.
"But there's no tax dollars that come from the local tax base that go towards that. In fact, very little of our tax base goes to the airport at all," Palmer said.
ICE did not respond to a request for comment.
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