11/9/20

By Thomas Cartwright

DEATH FLIGHTS - WEEK OF 2 November – please share for transparency

Ø 21 DEPORTATION FLIGHTS IN SPITE OF 4-5 FEWER BECAUSE THERE WERE NO FLIGHTS TO HONDURAS AS IT WAS DEVASTATED BY “ETA” STORM AND FLOODING

Ø 7 DIFFERENT COUNTRIES

Ø 89 TOTAL FLIGHTS – ALMOST ½ DOMESTIC SHUFFLE FLIGHTS MOVING PEOPLE AROUND AS 3RD COVID WAVE RAGES

WEEKLY SUMMARY

- 89 Total Flights. Down 38 from last week’s record, and 22 below the last 6-week average of 111. Next week we will watch to see if levels increase.

- 21 Deportations – Down 10 from last week’s record level, and 7 under prior 6-week average, of which 4-5 can be accounted for by 0 flights to Honduras because of storms. To 7 different countries in Latin America and the Caribbean.

- Mexico (9), Same as last week and typical of almost every week over the last two months. August was 7 per week and August and September stepped up to 9. Flights to 6 different cities this week, and similar to every week: Mexico City (2), Guadalajara (2), Puebla (1), Morelia (1), Villahermosa (1), and Queretaro (2).

- Honduras (0), We are highly confident there were no flights because of weather. For at least 3 months before that there were never more that 4 per week, but recently 4-5 per week. Areas are still flooded so we will have to watch closely next week since often the flights bunch up at the end of the week.

- Guatemala (5), down 3 from last week’s very high 8 and more in line with a typical week. Do not think this is weather related as there was a flight on Friday

- El Salvador (2), Same as last week, and fourth week in a row at 2 after alternating between 1 – 2 per week.

- Haiti (1), same as last week and run rate significantly below the 12 flights in October. Before August there were 2 flights per month and in August and September there were 3 each month. Not sure why it dropped, but we understand many on these flights are T-42 expulsions and those are dependent on the number of people crossing. Watching closely for any escalation.

- Trinidad (2), the 3rdflight in two weeks after no flights since 1 in June.

- Ecuador (1), down 1 this week after the 4 out of 5 weeks at 2. These flights had been coupled regularly recently with Honduran flights. Not sure if the reduction to 1 this week was because of 0 flights to Honduras.

- Dominican (1), continues to alternate now about every other week.

- 9 Deportation US Connections, down 10 last week, and 8 below recent 6-week average of 17, no doubt impacted by 0 flights to Honduras.

- 19 Deportation Returns, down 7 last week, down 6 from the prior 6 week average and consistent level of deportations.

- 40 Shuffle flights in the US, down 11 from last week, and equal to the the last 6-week average.

Ø NOTEWORTHY THIS WEEK

Ø Haiti: We believe the massive increase to 12 deportation/expulsion flights in October are the result of expulsions under T-42 based on conversations close to people in Haiti and on the planes. Also the following CBP report from just 1 sector along the border speaks to the number of Haitians they encountered. We are watching closely because of the dramatic pull back in the last 2 weeks to 2 flights.

Ø Honduras: Watching to see if there are additional flights to make up for the 4-5 this week excluded because of weather.

Ø Cameroon/Africa: We expect another deportation to Cameroon, and possibly to additional country(s) on Tuesday of this week based on reports of people in detention. We are working with a coalition of humanitarian groups to try to stop and if not to track to enable people to meet the flights when they land.

Ø The Detainee population dropped 641 this week, slightly less than last week’s drop of 728 which was the largest weekly decrease in 20 weeks. The population of 17,458 is under half of what it was at the end of February. The 4 -week drop has been about 1,900. The combined August / September drop was only about 1,800.

Ø Through September, 205,000 asylum seekers have been turned back and expelled under the illegal CDC order (title 42) since mid-March, 48,300 alone in September, up 5,500 from August.

Ø Almost 9,000 unaccompanied children have been expelled into danger alone since mid-March

- It has been reported by CBP that the few that may not qualify to be expelled, some not from Mexico or Northern Triangle Countries, are still being enrolled in MPP. We understand around 1,000 in September.

Ø 7,084 detainees have tested positive for COVID, up this week by 146 or 2%. Testing increased last week by 2,602 to 57,209 on a cumulative basis, so the positivity rate was around 13%. This level is typical and it follows one of the highest numbers (4,502) of weekly tests last week perhaps because of the large number of deportations. There are 409 detainees in isolation of under monitoring, up slightly by 22 from last week.

Note: ICE Air does not disclose their flights. Flight listing gleaned from public flight information, knowledge of detention center locations, air charter services and historic patterns. In rare cases, there may be a flight we miss, or include in error.