Immigrant rights groups say airlines are increasingly obscuring deportation flight data as the number of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) flights has reached record levels under the Trump administration, a new Associated Press investigation has revealed.
Activists who monitor deportation flights report that airlines have begun using false call signs and blocking aircraft tail numbers from public tracking websites, making it harder to follow flights carrying deportees.
According to the investigation, Tom Cartwright, a former J.P. Morgan employee who has tracked ICE flights since 2020, documented 1,214 deportation-related flights in July, the highest monthly total since he began. About 80% were operated by three airlines—GlobalX, Eastern Air Express, and Avelo Airlines.
From January through July, Cartwright tracked 5,962 such flights, a 41% increase over the same period in 2024. "ICE is doing everything it can to make it as difficult as possible to distinguish government activity from commercial activity," said Guadalupe González, an organizer with La Resistencia, a Seattle-based immigrant rights group, to the Associated Press.
Activists say the information they gather fills and gaps left by ICE, which rarely disclose flight details. Human Rights First recently took over Cartwright's monitoring project, renaming it ICE Flight Monitor. "Their work provides essential transparency into government actions that affect thousands of lives," said Uzra Zeya, the group's executive director told AP.
The Federal Aviation Administration allows airlines to block aircraft identifiers through a program known as Limiting Aircraft Data Displayed (LADD). According to FlightRadar24 spokesperson Ian Petchenik, blocked planes appear as "N/A" on tracking sites, hiding destinations and schedules. Activists say dozens of ICE-contracted planes have recently been removed from public view.
At King County International Airport in Seattle, one of the main hubs for ICE flights, volunteers monitor detainees boarding planes, aided by county-installed cameras that stream footage publicly. Many detainees appear in shackles and under close supervision, according to activists cited by AP.
The surge in deportation flights coincides with discussions inside the Department of Homeland Security about expanding ICE's aviation capacity. NBC News reported last week that Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem is pressing for ICE to purchase and operate its own fleet of aircraft, potentially doubling removals.
Former ICE chief of staff Jason Houser said the agency currently deports around 15,000 people monthly using chartered planes but could reach 30,000 to 35,000 if it owned about 30 aircraft. Such a fleet could cost between $2.4 billion and $12 billion, according to aviation experts cited by NBC. ICE would also be responsible for hiring pilots, medical staff, and security, as well as maintaining the planes.
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