40 House Democrats Demand FAA Report on ICE Deportation Flights

A group of 40 House Democrats sent a letter to FAA Administrator Bryan Bedford describing "grave concerns" over the Trump administration’s secretive program of deportation flights. The letter, shared with The Guardian and addressed to Bedford, demands that the FAA address allegations of mistreatment and inhumane conditions on ICE charter jets.

It describes an "urgent need for transparency" over ICE’s expanded use of commercial airliners to transfer detained immigrants and states that ICE made "inappropriate and dangerous" efforts to shield these flights from public scrutiny.

The letter states that credible reports indicate individuals have been placed on flights without notice to counsel or family members. Families are left searching for their loved ones and attorneys are denied meaningful opportunities to intervene, the letter states, raising serious due process concerns.

Information regarding ICE flights is nearly impossible to find, which undermines congressional oversight and prevents the public from understanding the scope and conditions of these flights, according to the letter.

The Guardian published an investigation based on leaked flight data that revealed the Trump administration transported detained immigrants in ways that routinely violated their constitutional rights. The reporting also identified allegations of abuse and rights violations at a private detention center in Alexandria, Louisiana, a central node in the administration’s deportation program.

The Trump administration’s hardline immigration agenda saw a surge in the number of ICE flights during 2025, with human rights groups tracking an 84% increase from 2024.

The lawmakers ask the FAA to provide a detailed report of all ICE air operations since Trump was sworn into office, including flight origin and destination data and how many passengers were held onboard each flight. The letter also calls on the FAA to provide detailed information on how the agency assesses humanitarian conditions on ICE flights, including the controversial use of full body restraints during deportation flights.

The lawmakers ask the FAA how restraining passengers in this manner affects evacuation and emergency procedures onboard and how ICE officers and flight attendants are trained to handle such scenarios.

The Associated Press reported that dozens of charter jets used for deportation flights were granted unusual permission by the FAA to block certain data including tail numbers from public flight tracking sites. New Jersey Congressman Rob Menendez is the letter’s lead author and sits on the influential energy and commerce committee.

Texas Congresswoman Jasmine Crockett is a signatory and authored a bill earlier this year aiming to block airline operators from hiding their tracking data while carrying out federal government services.

Illinois Congresswoman Delia Ramirez is a co-author of the letter. New York Congressman Jerry Nadler, the ranking member on the House judiciary committee, is a signatory. >"This transparency is important for the American people to understand what is happening every single day because there are so many violations of due process and legal rights happening that if people knew about them they would find it deeply problematic," said Rob Menendez.

“We want people to understand what is happening on their dime," Menendez added. The Trump administration has previously described claims of “hidden” or “weaponized” transfer and deportation flights as “categorically false”. It has argued its detention centers have “higher standards than most US prisons”.”

The Trump administration has previously stated its use of restraints on ICE flights is “long-standing, standard ICE protocol” designed to “ensure the safety and well being of both detainees and the officers/ agents accompanying them” and argued the practices are “fully in line with established legal standards”.

Menendez said he expected representatives from airline companies working with ICE as well as private companies operating detention centers to face greater pressure to testify before Congress should Democrats win back control of the House following the midterm elections later this year.

>"We are putting pressure on now.

But when we have the majority and the gavels there is so much more work and oversight that we will be able to do to demand and get accountability for the American people so all options will be on the table," Menendez said.