politics
ICE Conducted 245 Removal Flights in April, Report Says
A Human Rights Watch report documented 245 ICE removal flights in April, a monthly record since tracking began in 2020. One flight to Poland and Moldova stopped in four additional countries and lasted 51 hours with deportees kept in physical restraints throughout. The agency more than doubled third-country removal flights that month, sending people to nations where they hold no citizenship.
May 14, 3:21 PM·2m read1 source
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Immigration and Customs Enforcement conducted at least 245 removal flights in April, the highest monthly total since independent monitors began tracking the planes in 2020, according to a report released Thursday by Human Rights Watch. Hundreds of people were deported on those flights to 38 countries.
The total represented a 94 percent increase from April 2025. One flight stood out for its duration and number of stops. A plane carrying deportees flew to Poland and Moldova while also dropping people in Armenia, Georgia, Pakistan and Uzbekistan. The journey lasted 51 hours.
Deportees remained in physical restraints for the entire time, including during layovers and fuel stops. Deportees on ICE flights are routinely restrained with handcuffs, waist chains and leg irons. The agency has also used a full-body restraint suit in some cases.
The vast majority of flights are operated by ICE Air Operations, which contracts with CSI Aviation to arrange charters from small airlines.
The rise in flights was driven largely by increased removals to Mexico, which accounted for at least 68 flights in April. Those flights to far-flung Mexican cities averaged 23 per week by mid-April, a 113 percent increase from the same period the previous year.
Officials froze deportations of Mexican nationals by land in an apparent effort to reduce returns to the U.S.-Mexico border. At the same time the administration accelerated so-called third-country removals, in which individuals are sent to countries where they have no citizenship, family ties or clear legal protections.
