Hanscom Field's community advisory commission plans to ask the Air Force to approve webcam locations for tracking ICE detainee flights after Massport rejected the idea outright.

Massport's Hanscom Director Christopher Willenborg told the Hanscom Field Advisory Commission (HFAC) that the agency could not accommodate its request for cameras monitoring Immigration and Customs Enforcement activity at the airfield. His rejection letter, first reported by The Concord Bridge, was released at HFAC's Sept. 15 meeting.

Willenborg said it was not feasible to set up cameras recording detainee movements. He cited Massport's position that it plays no role in detainee transfers and raised security concerns tied to the airport's proximity to Hanscom Air Force Base.

But commission members aren't dropping the issue.

HFAC member Christopher Eliot proposed that advocates pinpoint a specific camera location and seek Air Force approval directly. If military officials sign off, the commission could bring the proposal back to Massport with that objection removed.

"Let the Air Force speak for itself," Eliot said at the Sept. 15 meeting. "Massport shouldn't be deciding what the Air Force's concerns are."

HFAC Chair Margaret Coppe asked Eliot to relay the Air Force consultation plan to the volunteer ICE spotters who already track flights at Hanscom. The commission expects to take up the webcam topic again at its October meeting.

Concord representative Terri Ackerman said the commission is not targeting Massport even as it pushes back on the rejection.

"Massport should have no dog in this fight," Ackerman said. "We're not trying to target Massport."

The webcam push dates to Aug. 11, when HFAC approved two motions. The first asked Massport to treat all airport observers equally in public areas. The second requested cameras covering areas where ICE interacts with detainees. Advocates pointed to Seattle-area Boeing Field, which operates a similar webcam system, as a model.

Willenborg's letter did offer one concession. He clarified that advocates have the right to monitor flights in person from public parts of the airfield.

The volunteer group De-ICE Hanscom has tracked an estimated 114 flights carrying roughly 2,221 detainees since last October, according to a presentation the group gave HFAC in August. The group reported increased ICE activity at the airfield in recent months, according to the Bridge's reporting.

Willenborg reiterated in his letter that Massport aims to work collaboratively with HFAC. He has said Massport cannot stop ICE from using its facilities.

Eliot plans to bring a specific camera location proposal to the Air Force before the commission's next meeting.