Denver City Council shot down a proposal that would give Key Lime Air extra space for its operations at Denver International Airport. Key Lime has drawn fierce criticism in Colorado because it operates deportation flights for Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
The council rejected the contract on an 11-1 vote, with Kevin Flynn voting in support of it and Chris Hinds absent.
Every council member who spoke condemned current federal immigration policies, and several described them as “unconstitutional.” No member supported Key Lime Air’s collaboration with ICE.
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.
Key Lime, which operates under the name Denver Air Connection, has flown cargo service from the Denver airport since at least 2006, as well as scheduled passenger service since November 2015, according to airport officials.
It’s unclear whether Key Lime supports its deportation operations from Denver’s airport.
Councilmember Stacie Gilmore said she has been following Key Lime’s deportation flights at the Centennial Airport, a practice she described as “unconstitutional.” She could neither “ethically nor morally” support an agreement with the company
Councilmember Serena Gonzales-Gutierrez expressed concern that deportation flights could be leaving Denver International Airport and frustration that airport staff did not clear that up before the vote.
Councilmember Kevin Flynn was the lone “yes” vote on the contract.
While Flynn also decried current mass deportations, which he said are based on race, the councilmember also argued the contract would not alter whether or not the airline would operate at Denver International Airport. Instead, voting down the contract would simply mean Key Lime would not pay the city to use storage space.
“Voting it down means they won't be paying us,” he said. “They'll be using it for free.”
The council does not have the power to outright kick Key Lime out of the airport, he said.
Councilmember Jamie Torres, who first found out about the contract from a reporter, also opposed contracting with Key Lime.
“It may seem like any other business decision to the private airlines that are contracting with the federal government, but it's just not,” she said. “We know that people are being deported without due process. It is a standard business and history will be kind to those who participated in these removals.”
Council President Amanda Sandoval implored her fellow members not to support the contract, saying she would outright refuse to sign a contract with the company.
“As a body that has six Latinas on here, let’s not do this,” Sandoval said. “We cannot do this.”
Several city council members raised concerns that federal grants could be reduced because of the body’s vote.
“I want to be clear that if this is voted down, it's not going to stop the flights from coming in and out,” Gonzales-Gutierrez said.
