Record ICE Deportation Flights Surge Amid Growing Transparency Collapse

(U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement) deportation flights reached a new high in June 2025 while official visibility into those operations fell, according to independent trackers and advocacy groups. ICE ran 1,187 flights in June, including 209 removal flights—the highest monthly total since tracking began in January 2020. Most deportation flights targeted the Northern Triangle, deepening concern among families, lawyers, and local officials across the United States 🇺🇸.

Record pace and wider reach

June’s surge marked a 10% rise over May 2025 and a 54% jump over the prior six‑month average. The geographic pattern was clear: the Northern Triangle dominated, with Guatemala (51 flights), Honduras (43), and El Salvador (22) accounting for 64% of all removals that month. Flights to Mexico fell to 17 from 30 in May.

ICE also sent people to about 40 countries, with growing use of routes to Africa and South America, reflecting wider international cooperation on removals.

• Military involvement: ICE used military aircraft for 10 deportation flights in June, including seven on June 29 alone. That brought 2025 military‑run deportations to 50, a pace analysts say is normalizing military support in daily immigration enforcement.
• Domestic transfers: ICE relied heavily on domestic “shuffle” flights to move detainees between holding sites. In June, domestic transfers totaled 697, up 17% from May and roughly double the June 2024 figure.
• Detention population growth: The detained population rose from 39,152 people in late December 2024 to 56,397 by mid‑June 2025. By July 27, 2025, ICE reported 56,945 people in custody, 71.1% in ICE‑owned or ICE‑contracted facilities.

Transparency falls as oversight depends on outside monitors

While the scale of deportation flights grows, official reporting has weakened. ICE does not publish a full, public flight log. Much of what the public knows comes from independent trackers—especially Tom Cartwright, who now leads the ICE Flight Monitor at Human Rights First and has tracked more than 40,000 ICE flights since 2020. Advocates say the project fills a hole left by limited agency disclosures.

The latest ICE data releases in July 2025 were incomplete, especially on removals. Analysts warn that 2025 datasets may undercount actual deportations and advise caution when reading official figures. Instead, they point to cross‑checks from independent monitoring. According to analysis by VisaVerge.com, shrinking official transparency has pushed reporters and advocates to rely more on independent flight tracking to measure the true scale of deportation flights.

Important takeaway: with official logs incomplete, outside monitors remain the primary real‑time source for tracking ICE flight operations.

Enforcement backdrop under President Trump

The policy backdrop helps explain the shift in pace. The Trump administration has focused on tougher interior enforcement and faster removals, using new international agreements and military resources to expand capacity.

• Border statistics: U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) reported a 93% drop in illegal crossings in May 2025 compared with May 2024, with zero releases into the U.S. interior that month (down from 62,000 a year earlier). CBP frames this as a result of strict enforcement and expanded returns. The figures are available on the CBP public stats page: https://www.cbp.gov/newsroom/stats.
• Diplomatic reach: Officials describe a wider network of countries now accepting deportation flights, including places that had resisted or limited returns in earlier years.
• Concerns from advocates: Human Rights First and partner groups counter that the pace and methods—especially military flights and rapid timelines—raise due process concerns and increase risk for returnees facing danger at home.

Key voices capture the divide:

• Tom Cartwright (independent tracker) has become central to public understanding of ICE Air operations.
• Uzra Zeya (Human Rights First CEO and President) has stressed the need for transparency and accountability.
• Acting CBP Commissioner Pete Flores has highlighted reduced crossings and higher removals as proof of “historic support” and “sustained success” for the administration’s approach.

On-the-ground impacts

People in detention are increasingly subject to multiple transfers by air, often to remote detention centers far from attorneys and family. Advocates report that:

• Longer stays and more transfers make it harder to prepare a legal case or gather documents.
• For many facing removal to Central America or Africa, risks on return can include exposure to violence or persecution.
• Families and local communities struggle to plan with limited information about where relatives are held, when a flight is scheduled, or the order of multi‑stop flights.

Typical removal process

Analysts and advocates describe the current removal process as following five steps:

1. Apprehension at the border or inside the country.
2. Transfer to detention, often including one or more domestic shuffle flights.
3. Fast‑track review, such as expedited removal, where people may have limited access to a lawyer.
4. Deportation by ICE Air or military aircraft to the country of origin, sometimes using multi‑country routes for efficiency.
5. Partial, delayed, or incomplete public reporting, with independent trackers filling gaps in the record.

Advocacy and government responses

Advocacy groups label the combination of record deportation flights, growing military use, high detention levels, and limited data an urgent civil liberties issue. They argue that “lawless ICE enforcement actions,” unsafe detention conditions, and deportations “without due process” have become more common.

Government officials reject that portrayal, saying the system enforces the law and deters illegal entry. The result is a deep divide that affects families, attorneys, and local service providers.

Historical context and outlook

Historical spikes show how unusual 2025 looks:

• September 2021: Haitian repatriation crisis pushed deportation flights to 193 for the month.
• August 2023: 153 removal flights.
• June 2025: 209 removal flights—a new monthly ceiling—paired with broader geographic reach and more routine military support.

Most signs point to further growth: with the detained population near record highs and more countries agreeing to accept returns, the flight schedule is likely to remain busy. However, as long as official data remain incomplete, outside monitors will be the main way the public can track deportation flights in real time. Human Rights First and allied groups say they plan to step up legal challenges and public campaigns focused on transparency and due process.

Practical advice and policy questions

For migrants and their families:
– Seek legal counsel early.
– Prepare documents showing fear of return if applicable.
– Keep close track of transfers between detention sites.

For local officials and service groups along Northern Triangle routes:
– Expect more arrivals and plan for increased needs in reception, protection screening, and reintegration services.

For Washington, the central policy choices are:
– Whether to keep expanding flight capacity and detention; and
– Whether to restore fuller reporting so the public can see how deportation flights are planned and carried out.

As the data shows, June 2025 set a record. Whether that becomes the new normal will depend on policy decisions, diplomatic agreements, and whether transparency keeps pace with enforcement.