Man taken to New York airport for deportation slips away from ICE agents and escapes in taxi

The detainee 'made his getaway after his handcuffs were removed'

The man is understood to have escaped in a yellow cab (Spencer Platt/Getty Images)

A manhunt has been launched for a detainee scheduled for deportation from the US who managed to escape from officers and flee from New York’s John F Kennedy International Airport in a taxi.

The man made his getaway after authorities removed his handcuffs to be taken through security just before 9pm last night.

He was being transported from one flight to another as he was being deported, but it is not clear how he managed to get away.

Law enforcement officials said CCTV footage showed the prisoner leaving the airport in a yellow taxi. He had previously been arrested on a weapons charge and was described as “violent” in reports in the New York Daily News,.

The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey has been contacted for comment.

A spokesperson told ABC News: "An individual being transported by federal immigration officials at JFK Airport last night eluded custody during transfer to a connecting flight.

"A check of video cameras by authorities showed the individual left the airport in a cab.

"Federal authorities would know if he is still at large. He was not taken into custody in the airport by PAPD."