Explanation
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has dramatically increased its deportation flight operations but these flights have become increasingly opaque and difficult to track. This trend raises serious accountability and human rights concerns.
1. Soaring Flight Volume
- In June 2025, Witness at the Border a migrant rights group that independently tracks ICE flight data recorded 209 deportation flights, the highest monthly total since they began monitoring in 2020. This figure represented a 54% increase over the six month average.(EL PAÍS English, Globedge).
- In July, Tom Cartwright of Witness at the Border tracked 207 flights to several dozen countries, in addition to 727 internal “shuffle flights” moving detainees between domestic detention sites.(Reddit)
These numbers underscore the scale and acceleration of ICE’s air operations in recent months.
2. Growing Opacity in Flight Tracking
Despite the surge in flight activity, tracking these flights has grown more difficult:
- Tail number suppression: ICE’s principal contractors have lately demanded removal of aircraft tail numbers the unique identifiers critical for public flight-tracking services from disclosures. This limits transparency, making it hard for journalists and activists to monitor flight paths.(Межа. Новини України.)
- Shared call signs: Instead of using unique flight identifiers, ICE flights increasingly employ shared call signs among multiple routes, further obstructing tracking efforts.(Межа. Новини України.)
3. Opacity’s Impact on Oversight and Accountability
The reduced ability to track flights carries serious implications:
- Public oversight erodes: “Families cannot track where their relatives are being sent; they simply disappear,” said Guadalupe Gonzalez of La Resistencia. Similarly, ACLU’s Yunis Cho stressed that tracking data is “vital for understanding how ICE conducts its forced removal operations.”(Межа. Новини України.)
- Accountability gaps: Without verifiable flight paths and clear aircraft data, it’s challenging for watchdogs, journalists, and legal advocates to audit operations or hold actors accountable particularly when mistreatment allegations arise during deportations.
4. Commercial Airlines Join the Network
- Avelo Airlines, unfamiliar with ICE deportation operations, began flying detainees starting May 2025, under a subcontract via CSI Aviation. The multiyear arrangement (valued over $151 million) involved unbranded Boeing 737 to 800s, marking Avelo’s rare venture into deportation flights. The deal sparked backlash over ethics, safety, and transparency.(The Washington Post, The Wall Street Journal)
- NBC Connecticut reported that Avelo planes, lacking branding, were observed landing at local airports. However, records of their involvement including contracts and invoices remain unavailable. Despite multiple Freedom of Information requests, DHS has not disclosed detailed information.(NBC Connecticut)
This trend exemplifies how commercial carriers now play a role albeit opaque in a growing deportation ecosystem.
5. Why This Matters
- Human rights concerns: When flights carrying vulnerable detainees become impossible to monitor, it increases risks of mistreatment or abuse during transport.
- Erosion of trust: Lack of visibility fuels suspicion and undermines public confidence in immigration enforcement agencies.
- Legal and ethical accountability gaps: Without solid transparency, enforcing legal protections and ensuring detainee safety becomes challenging.
Summary Table
| Aspect | Details |
|---|---|
| Spike in flights | ~209 flights in June 2025; ~207 international + 727 domestic “shuffle” flights in July |
| Tracking suppression | Tail numbers removed; shared call signs obscure flight identities |
| Commercial involvement | Avelo Airlines enters deportation flight operations under secretive subcontracting |
| Oversight challenge | Families and advocates lose visibility; legal accountability undermined |
Final Thoughts
ICE’s deportation flights are surging yet clouded by strategic opacity. From tail number removal to corporate subcontracting, each move makes tracking harder, undermining oversight and leaving families without answers. In essence, while the scale of operations rises, our understanding of them falls, eroding transparency at a time when accountability is more essential than ever.
