Deportation flights hit record highs under Trump as airlines mask flight tracking, immigration advocates say.
Deportation flights in the United States have reached record highs under President Trump, even as immigrant rights advocates say airlines are making them harder to track. Activists monitoring King County International Airport in Seattle report that carriers are using dummy call signs and blocking tail numbers on flight tracking websites.
Tom Cartwright, an immigration advocate, recorded 1,214 deportation-related flights in July, the most since he began tracking in 2020. He reported 5,962 flights since Trump’s second term began, a 41% increase over 2024. “ICE is doing everything in its power to make it as hard as possible to differentiate their contractors’ government activities from other commercial endeavors,” organizer Guadalupe Gonzalez said.
The Federal Aviation Administration permits airlines to block tracking data under its LADD program. Human Rights First has launched “ICE Flight Monitor” to continue oversight, saying the work provides “essential transparency to U.S. government actions impacting thousands of lives.”
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