Key Lime Air, the Colorado-based company that has been transporting prisoners for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), needs the Denver City Council’s permission to expand its storage area at Denver International Airport.
The proposal is a relatively small change — the air transport company would get 1,200 additional square feet of space “to park equipment in support of their operation.” But its involvement in ICE operations could lead to controversy on the council.
On Friday afternoon, council member Sarah Parady sent a note to immigration advocacy groups that she may delay the item by a week over concerns about the company.
Key Lime Air calls itself “the largest single feeder aircraft network in the U.S.” News of the affiliation sparked protests outside its Centennial Airport headquarters and at CU Boulder, which has contracted with the company since 2011 to transport athletes. Parady wrote she wanted time to look into Denver’s vote concerning the business.
It’s unclear how long Key Lime Air has been operating at DIA and how expansive its operations are. The company operates 25 aircraft “ready to take you or your cargo” across the Western Hemisphere on as little as two hours’ notice, per its website.
Parady wasn’t immediately available for comment. Council members Chris Hinds, Jamie Torres and Serena Gonzales-Gutierrez all said it wasn’t on their radar until we asked about it.
None of the council members knew if the additional square feet would assist the airline in its work with federal immigration officials. Key Lime Air did not return a message asking for comment. Airport officials also did not immediately answer questions about the proposal.
Dana Miller, an advocate who has helped lead protests against Key Lime Air — and other ICE-related activity in the region — said she hopes members take the time to research, and consider using their approval power to make a moral statement.
She said it could be like a vote in 2019, when City Council voted down halfway house contracts because the companies involved also held contracts with ICE.
Miller said a collective of activist organizations is planning coordinated rallies against Key Lime at DIA and airports in Nebraska and Minnesota. Focusing on companies that do business with federal immigration authorities is part of a nationwide strategy, she added.
“What really needs to happen, nationwide, is that those pillars of support need to start crumbling, and corporations need to start saying no and taking moral stances,” she said. “Key Lime needs to say no. And I know they're making a lot of money on it, but they need to say no.”
