US EditionUS deportation flights hit record highs as carriers try to hide the planes, advocates say
Immigration advocates track over 1,200 monthly deportation flights despite airlines obscuring data, highlighting challenges to transparency and accountability in enforcement efforts.
- Immigration advocates say airlines use dummy call signs and block tail numbers to obscure deportation flights, while FlightRadar24 confirmed multiple carriers requested data blocks in recent months.
- The FAA permits carriers to limit publicly visible flight data via LADD, and FlightRadar24 documented over a dozen aircraft with blocked data as advocates say ICE obscures deportation flights.
- Data indicate that roughly 80% of flights are run by three carriers, with Tom Cartwright tracking 5,962 deportation flights since January 2020, including 1,214 in July.
- Volunteers now rely on livestreams and airport visuals because many flights show `not available`, so King County-operated cameras at King County International Airport let volunteers watch passengers boarding, while La Resistencia monitored 59 flights at Boeing Field and five at the Yakima airport in 2025, surpassing 42 in 2024.
- Advocates warn that secrecy undermines oversight and opponents argue it reduces transparency and public accountability, while advocacy and human rights groups say public tracking aids thousands of affected individuals and families.
61 Articles
61 Articles
US deportation flights hit record highs
SEATTLE — Immigration advocates gather like clockwork outside Seattle's King County International Airport to witness deportation flights and spread word of where they are going and how many people are aboard. Until recently, they could keep track of the flights…
Deportation flights hit record highs but become harder to track: Report
Immigration advocates say airlines are making it more difficult to monitor U.S. deportation flights by using “dummy” call signs and blocking aircraft tail numbers from public tracking websites. The report comes as deportation flights have reached record highs under President Donald Trump, according to flight monitors. Until recently, advocacy groups say they could follow the flights on websites such as FlightRadar24 and FlightAware. Now, many of…
Associated Press News
US deportation flights hit record highs as carriers try to hide the planes, advocates say
Immigration advocates gather like clockwork outside Seattle’s King County International Airport to witness deportation flights and spread word of where they are going and how many people are aboard. Until recently, they could keep track of the flights using publicly accessible websites.
Deportation flights hit record highs as carriers try to hide planes, advocates say
As Immigration and Customs Enforcement deportation flights reach record highs, the airlines running the trips have taken steps to make it more difficult to track the planes, according to independent groups monitoring the flights.
SEATTLE, Washington. August 28, 2025 — Immigrant rights activists gather punctually outside Seattle's King County International Airport to witness deportation flights and spread information about where they are headed and how many people are on board. Until recently, they were able to track the flights using publicly accessible websites. However, activists and others say airlines are now using fake operating names for deportation flights and blo…
About 80% of the deportation flights tracked by independent groups are operated by three airlines: GlobalX, Eastern Air Express and Avelo Airlines.
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