Deportation Flight
"Deportation flights have begun" Latin Times

Deportation flights have remained on pace with those of the Biden administration despite the Trump administration's stated goal of significantly increasing immigration enforcement, according to a CNN analysis of deportation flight data.

The data, provided by Thomas Cartwright of advocacy group Witness at the Border, which tracks publicly available information on ICE flights, indicates that deportation flights under Trump are comparable to those conducted under President Joe Biden.

"The Trump administration's stated goals to detain and deport undocumented immigrants on a large scale have met the on-the-ground realities of limited personnel and resources," explains the report.

CNN also reports that while there are slight changes in the countries receiving flights "the majority of flights also continue to go to Latin America." In all, fourteen countries, including Brazil, Panama, and India, have received deportation flights this year that did not during the same period in 2024. However, flights to Guatemala and Honduras have slightly decreased, while those to Ecuador and Colombia have increased. Guatemala recently pledged a 40% increase in deportation flights carrying Guatemalans and migrants of other nationalities.

The Trump administration has also relied on military aircraft to supplement ICE deportation flights, a logistic which has led to diplomatic tensions, most notably with Colombia, nearly resulting in a trade dispute before an agreement was reached.

While deportation flights remain steady, the New York Times reported on Monday that arrests inside the U.S. have sharply increased under Trump. ICE has arrested nearly 23,000 individuals and deported 18,000 in the past month, with ICE booking as many as 872 people into detention daily in late January before declining to just under 600 per day in February. Under Biden, the daily average was 255.

Despite the increase in arrests, however, The New York Times has also revealed that deportations have not kept pace. ICE deported approximately 600 people per day in mid-February, compared to more than 750 per day in the year through November. As a result, detention facilities now hold 4,000 more individuals than when Trump took office, with the total detained population approaching 44,000.

The administration has also significantly reduced parole and release from detention. While the Biden administration frequently released individuals not considered a threat or flight risk, ICE has nearly ceased granting parole since late February. The share of detainees with no criminal record has risen from 6% in mid-January to 16%.

Originally published on Latin Times

Immigration