New ICE Flight Monitor Report Reveals Record U.S. Enforcement Flights and Abusive Conditions Under Trump Administration
Washington, D.C. — A new report from ICE Flight Monitor, housed at Human Rights First, reveals that the Trump administration’s deportation campaign continues to ramp up in both scale and cruelty. In October 2025 alone, the project tracked 1,014 domestic transfer flights and 199 deportation flights to 30 countries, including first-time flights to Morocco and Sri Lanka since flight tracking began in 2020.
From January 20 to October 31, 2025, the Trump administration has conducted at least 10,357 U.S. enforcement flights, including removal, removal-related, and domestic transfer (“shuffle”) flights, which move people between detention centers and deportation staging facilities. There have been 1,701 removal flights to a record 77 countries—a 79 percent increase over the same period in 2024.
“These ICE flights represent a system operating in darkness,” said Savi Arvey, Director of Research and Analysis, Refugee Protection at Human Rights First. “People are disappearing, deported to countries where they face persecution, or sent to places they’ve never lived—all without transparency or due process.”
The report highlights several alarming trends: forced third-country transfers to nations where individuals deported are not citizens, deportations carried out in violation of court orders (including the removal of an Alabama father protected by a court order) or due to administrative errors, and the growing use of punitive and inhumane conditions aboard ICE charter flights.
“Many passengers are shackled at the wrists, waist, and ankles—and at times even the full-body WRAP—for journeys that can last over 40 hours with multiple layovers and fuel stops.” Arvey continued. ICE Flight Monitor’s mission is to bring transparency to this system, hold the government accountable for abuses, and ensure that the human cost of these policies is not hidden from public view.”
The full report, U.S. Immigration Enforcement Flight Overview: October 2025, is available here.
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About ICE Flight Monitor
ICE Flight Monitor uses publicly available aviation data to track U.S. immigration enforcement flights operated by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and partner agencies. Founded on the methodology pioneered by researcher Tom Cartwright, the project provides transparent, data-driven reporting to strengthen accountability and expose the human costs of mass deportation.
To speak with Savi Arvey, contact [email protected].
