New ICE Flight Monitor Report Shows Sharp Escalation of Deportation and Domestic Transfer Flights Under Trump Administration
Washington, D.C. — A new report from Human Rights First’s ICE Flight Monitor, documents a dramatic escalation of the Trump administration’s mass deportation campaign—including a record number of domestic transfer flights, expanding forced third-country transfers, and continued removals to Venezuela amid rising geopolitical tensions.
In November alone, the project tracked a record monthly total of 1,026 domestic transfer (“shuffle”) flights, which are increasingly used by the administration to repeatedly transfer and disappear people to detention centers across the country, impeding access to attorneys and loved ones. In addition, it also tracked 212 removal flights in November to 33 countries.
Since taking office on January 20, 2025, the administration has conducted at least 1,912 removal flights to 79 countries and 7,362 domestic transfer flights, figures that far exceed previous years.
“These flights reveal a system that is continuing to expand in scope, secrecy, and cruelty,” said Savi Arvey, Director of Research and Analysis for Refugee Protection at Human Rights First. “People are being shuffled between detention centers, deported to countries where they face danger, or sent to places they’ve never lived, all without transparency or due process. ICE Flight Monitor exists to shed light on a system that relies on secrecy. Our data provides the transparency that has been otherwise denied to the public.”
Many people deported on these flights are shackled at the wrists, waist, and ankles, and some are even placed in full-body restraints. Deportation flights can last over 30 or 40 hours, with multiple layovers and fuel stops.
Key Findings for November 2025
- November marks a record number of domestic transfer flights amid continued expansion of U.S. interior enforcement and detention.
Domestic transfer flights reached 1,026 in November, the highest monthly total ever recorded. Since January 20th, there have been 7,362 shuffle flights, a 114 percent increase over the same period in 2024, fueled by the expansion of detention and subcontracted charter planes. - November saw 212 removal flights to 33 destination countries, bringing the total under the second Trump administration to 1,912 removal flights to 79 countries.
- U.S. Removal Flights to Venezuela continue despite escalating tensions between the United States and Venezuela. The United States has conducted 73 flights to Venezuela, removing 13,656 people since February 2025. Flights continue twice weekly, despite escalating tensions and statements from President Trump declaring Venezuelan airspace “closed.”
- Removals conducted on U.S. Military aircraft appear to have paused since mid-September, with no military-operated removal flights recorded in recent months.
- Forced third-country transfers continued with the first flights of third-country nationals to Poland and Equatorial Guinea and continued third-country transfers to Ghana and Honduras. November included the first tracked transfer of Ukrainians to Poland, followed by returns across the border to Ukraine, and the first flight of third country nationals to Equatorial Guinea. Transfers to Ghana and Honduras continued. These transfers are now being challenged in federal court.
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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.
