Back in December, Denver’s City Council voted to deny a lease at the airport to a carrier based on their politics, in clear violation of federal law.
The council voted down a proposed agreement with Key Lime Air 11-1 for 1,200 square feet of space near the south cargo area to store equipment for snow removal and an office trailer because Key Lime has operated ICE deportation flights.
Two Key Lime aircraft had been used in ICE operations, including flights moving shackled detainees between ICE hubs like El Paso, Texas and Alexandria, Louisiana. Key Lime, which is based in Colorado, had not carried out ICE flights from the state.
Several Denver councilmembers condemned the administration’s immigration policies, saying they wouldn’t support doing business with a company tied to those flights.
- This didn’t even remove Key Lime Air from the airport. They were already there.
- It just denied new dedicated leased space. They could still use common-use cargo apron space.
BOOM ✈️
“When we’re talking about the values of our city, and we stand up here and we say time after time that we support our immigrant community and that we are a welcoming city — I cannot support a corporation that does not prescribe to that,” Council member Serena Gonzales-Gutierrez said.
— JJ in DC (@jjindc.bsky.social) December 15, 2025 at 9:12 PM
This was a clear violation of Airport Improvement Program grant assurances. Denver airport accepts FAA funding, and agrees that it will make its facilities available “on reasonable terms and without unjust discrimination.” And the city council clearly stated the reason for the lease denial was opposition to the flights they were running for ICE. Now, $90 million for the airport is in jeopardy.
As an Enilria commenter notes, ICE buys deportation tickets and travel for its employees on a number of airlines serving the Denver airport. They were singling out Key Lime even within the framework of their own political disagreement with the carrier.
Airports can make these decisions for safety, capacity, and environmental and operational efficiency but they can’t favor or disfavor an air carrier because of its customers.
Several readers have flagged this update that the city’s attorney pushed the airport to investigate Key Lime’s safety record after the city council denied the lease, looking for an ex post justification to legitimize the city’s decision.
According to the document, Brown told airport officials: “Well you all should investigate Key Lime yourselves. If the FAA comes knocking, I want to be able to have in my back pocket that council was also voting because of safety issues but ran out of time to get to talking about that before voting.”
…The memo also states that Denver International Airport lawyer David Steinberger met with Brown again on January 9, and that she wanted him to once more raise the safety scrutiny she had recommended at the first meeting. It further recounts that Brown emailed Steinberger with “continued questions about investigating Key Lime’s safety record” after the January 6 meeting, and ” told him to relay to the group that they should continue considering safety violation inquiries into the Key Lime.” According to the memo, Brown told Steinberger that “a bad argument is better than no argument.”
A spokesperson for the mayor says that notwithstanding a memo contemporaneously documenting the conspiracy, “there was no evidence of crime or fraud” and “there was no fake investigation.” That’s probably true, only because the airport didn’t conduct the investigation. Which leaves them without even that fig leaf, and having actually taken actions in violation of the terms under which they accept federal funding.
The federal funding should not be “at risk” – It should be withdrawn. They can reapply for funding next year.
They probably shouldn’t have done this, and to imagine it wouldn’t be called out was dumb. But we have an administration that invents a non-existent organization (“Antifa”, you know, anti-fascists like the U.S. was in World War 2), and then imprisons people for belonging to it,. So compared to that this is pretty small potatoes. It’s no excuse to blame someone else for your actions, but when one side fights dirty it’s also no surprise that the other will react to it.
These comments are going to get fun!
I think you may be jumping the shark here?
In King County, WA (includes Seattle) during Trump’s first term, King County Executive Dow Constantine threatened KBFI businesses with losing their operating licenses if they serviced the federal government deportation planes.
So the Feds had to move the deportation flights to Yakima, WA, in central WA, which meant they had to bus the deportees over the Cascade Mountains.to get them onto the flights. Western WA has most.of the WA population.
There were zero repercussions for the County Executive. He was even bragging about ilhis actions to the media.
@drrichard – If you think the admin “invented” Antifa you are just a liberal fool. They are weak established anti-government organization and the state over we break them (and the other anti-government) groups the better. God bless the USA and let’s get rid of the ones standing in the way of its greatness.
RG–You are of course welcome to your opinion. I would suggest that when writing you, 1) Attack ideas, not the people and 2) Reread your postings before publishing them, this was pretty incoherent. Anyway, if you could please show me the address, website, membership card, organization chart, articles of incorporation or anything else for Antifa that would be very helpful. Creating a boogeyman and then using it to justify repressive measures is an old, old trick. And I too would like the US to be a great country (though perhaps not the way that MAGA seems to define it). Right now part of what has made this country so good is the right to openly protest, and that has to stay. Anyway, following a stone cold pathological liar who appeals only to anger and hate and wants nothing but money and power doesn’t seem like a good way to make it a better place.
Does extrajudicial human trafficking count as a “reasonable term” to use an airport? They’re fine.
Dr, Richard:
https://rosecityantifa.org/
Antifa is no doubt highly decentralized to the point that there is no official body which sanctions “chapters” so to say. Rather, it exists in the hearts and minds of adherents, some of whom use it in the name of their organizations. Indeed, it is not sufficiently centralized or organized to declare it a terrorist organization, as it is not an organization of any sort. Such does not mean that it does not exist. Indeed, Wikipedia has a quite extensive entry for what some assert to be a nonexistent entity.
As for the Denver City Council, let them explain why the City must seek other funding sources for municipal priorities.
Oh sure jfh, in that sense the group exists, but then so do many popular movements which as you note are really just ideas. (Unpopular ones with few members too, like the groups working to reestablish this or that royal house and make their countries kingdoms again.) The Underground Road was far more real than antifa, but the millions who supported its aims without participating weren’t “part” of it, though granted the laws of the time wouldn’t have made too fine a distinction.
It’s an interesting question, but it seems like having a formal organization, even when divided into cells, is needed to classify a group as substantially there. And many of these that fit this criteria have barely or briefly existed–back in the ’60s the feds gave me a paper with literally hundreds of names on it and asked if I was ever a member of any of these “leftist” organizations. Most had been gone for maybe decades and couldn’t have been very big to begin with. Would saying yes have branded me a Commie? Probably, but it was an empty exercise. Anyway, by the criteria I’m suggesting the feds are chasing shadows. But like the Red Scare days, to the credulous it sounds good.
I think drrichard is delusional. He’s certainly losing the argument.
The problem is most of these virtue signaling hacks are being voted out. That is why the current in Cuban in Denver who’s been in Congress for like three decades is now running in a primary fighting for her political survival so is another senator who wants to be the governor of the state people are just sick sick and tired of this virtue signaling, non-performing, sleeping on the job politicians
@drrichard – Show my a website anything to prove your point. So @jfhscott does and poof, not good enough.
Gotta love delusional libs, yes @1990 I am talking about you and others here that support illegal invaders and communism / socialism / democrat fascism.
I hope drrichard is never on a jury. You decide on the facts of the case before you, not your generalized sense of injustices committed by some government administration you despise politically. If it so happens dr stands for M.D, you have the education to know better. If not….
Gary’s blog is of high intellectual caliber. Consider not diluting that.
I’m sure there will be plenty of jerks making childish comments but while I find Denver’s moves to be legally dubious you have to admit that their hearts are in the right place by not favoring mass deportations and internment camps.
@drrichard – A valiant effort on your part but do you honestly think logic and facts are going to change the minds of people who pride themselves in ignoring those very things whenever inconvenient?
Gary, Seems like JUST discrimination to me.
@Christian – Immature responses from someone that despises America and support criminal invaders.
@Christian — I still think it’s worth trying, even if it doesn’t convince true-believers on the other side, because, when people like @drrichard take the time and care to try to explain things from a layperson perspective, it does actually help in the aggregate. Of course, if it just frustrates you, personally, then, sure, maybe it is best to leave it alone, not worry about online fanatics and partisans, like @Michael Mainello, who appears to be reenacting the “SOURCE?!” meme above.
Also, where is frequent commenter @Denver Refugee for a hot-take?
One way or another, Every illegal in the USA must be returned to their country of origin. Period.
I worked with the airport authority for some years, and there are a lot of issues with the culture and staffing. It really shows in how that airport operates. It’s a tremendous (blue) gift horse for Denver and the region, and they just struggle with getting it together.
It would be nice if Gary would properly credit when using another persons story. You used a quote from an “Enilria commenter” but you did NOT credit Enilria for the story. How would you read a persons comments on his site & not have read his story on this subject? I know we all cover the same news & we use each others stories to create our own, but proper credit is also how things are done in this industry, just a thought.
The current administration probably isn’t going to do diddly. There’s a lot of show and tell when it comes to deportations.
ICE employees are not people, not sure why they’d be able to use the airports human beings use in the first place.
@RWA – I did not get tipped to this story by Enilria. But his came out before I published mine, so I saw it. The only thing here I used from it was that comment, which I credited. And I named and linked to the site. Yes, that’s the proper way to do things in this case (which sadly very few do – my site gets ripped off for content without credit constantly, and I go to great lengths to offer credit where do).
ConAir comes to mind or better yet AirAmerica.
MelloYello: Democrat fascism is certainly better than the fascism currently running in Washington and Austin, where the religio-fascists just voted to pump Protestant heretical doctrines down children’s throats. I’d function very well in a Democrat fascism system. I’d even request to lead the team that will break down your door at two in the morning and laugh as I see you taken away in chains.
@drrichard…
Did the Associated Press invent Antifa? https://apnews.com/article/prairieland-detention-center-shooting-sentencing-1eb7a8ac32dbb637e027709ae010f374
Did NBC News invent Antifa? https://apnews.com/article/prairieland-detention-center-shooting-sentencing-1eb7a8ac32dbb637e027709ae010f374
How about CBS News? https://www.cbsnews.com/texas/news/ice-detention-attack-defendants-sentencing-6-23-2026/
I can keep going. Antifa is a real organization. Even the mainstream press is reporting on then (finally). You can try to convince yourself that they aren’t care of your serious case of TDS, but they’re real. Keep telling yourself that they’re not, but they are.
@ drrichard. Your personal experience explains a lot and I would share your reaction, but there is a difference between redress of grievances and breaking windows.
Don’t think the airport can decline to do business with an airline for doing business with the government and expect government money.
@O’Hare Is My Second Home – You are one sick person. Do you harbor criminals in your home? Do you employ criminals or are you being held hostage?
The way you write, I am betting we will be reading about your arrest long before you “break into my home at 2 AM.” Good thing you use a pseudonym or you could be served for threatening me.
@Michael Mainello — Please do start suing your foes on message boards. Would be hilarious. “Wah, wah, you’re honor… some guy claiming to live at an airport hurt my feewings…” *case dismissed*
@1990 – So you are joining the id10t parade. Read what he said – I’d even request to lead the team that will break down your door at two in the morning and laugh as I see you taken away in chains.
Is this your Democrat Party?
@Michael Mainello — What? I read what you wrote, but I’m struggling to understand what your actual point is. Is it just dEmOcRaTs bAd?
@1990 – Playing dumb or does it come naturally? (waiting on the “projecting” argument you constantly fall back on)
The Democrat defense, “I didn’t threaten you, you must have misunderstood what I said.” I guess you think Carmelo Anthony was misunderstood and innocent of killing his victim.
Also, I want to thank the New York City Democrats for voting in the Communists. Your more moderate members (if they exist) might think twice before voting Democrat this fall.
@Michael Mainello — Wait, so, now I’m not a “retard”… might wanna tell @Mike Hunt, @Mantis, @Pilot93434, etc.