5/10/21

By Tom Cartwright

ICE Air Weekly Activity – Week of 3 May 2021.

 Flights of 98 for the week down from the record 119 of last week and 2 above prior 6-week average. BUT well over the March weekly average of 75 and significantly over February at 44 per week.

 Shuffle flights remained at elevated levels resulting from continuing, but modified, lateral flights to El Paso for Expulsion into Juarez. There were 2 lateral flights from Brownsville and 7 from Yuma. 8 arrived for expulsions in El Paso and only 1 in San Diego this week. The week of 8 March, 14 Lateral flights went to El Paso from Brownsville, and between then and this week 1 flight per day went to El Paso and 1 to San Diego from Brownsville.

 Especially worrisome is if families are flown 1000s of miles for expulsion because MX won’t receive them in Tamaulipas because Tamaulipas will not accept children 6 an under, but Chihuahua will. However, the extremely violent and dangerous Nuevo Laredo, in Tamaulipas apparently is an exception and families are bused there to be expelled.

 To date there have been 117 total lateral flights.

 Over the last 7 ½ weeks through 24 April, we have seen over 125 likely flights moving unaccompanied children from overcrowded CBP stations to the new EIS and influx centers and to possible ORR shelters. THEY ARE NOT IN THESE TOTALS as we do not consider them in the same category as ICE Air. Charters include 3 historic ICE Air Charter, Swift, Omni and World Atlantic, but these do not seem like ICE operations. Omni has not operated a flight is a few of weeks.

WEEKLY SUMMARY
- 98 Total Flights. Down 26 from last week, and 16 below the last 6-week average.
- 12 Removal (Deportation/Expulsions) – Up 3 from last week, and 2 above the prior 6-week average. To 7 different countries in Latin America the Caribbean.
- 6 connection flights. Up 1 from last week 1 over the prior 6-week average.
- 9 return flights. Up 1 from last week and 2 over the prior 6-week average, consistent with removal flights.
- 71 Shuffle flights. Down 26 from last week and 7 below the prior 6-week average. 29 legs were related to “lateral” flights. Adjusted for these flights, shuffle flights would be typical of the pre “lateral” flight levels.

- Haiti (1), same as last week and as 3 of the last 4 weeks (1 was 2). Flights have been variable the last 6 weeks between 1 and 2 per week. We’ll see if next week is back to 2. Before and after October flights to Haiti were about 2 per month. In October there were 12 as encounters increased and T-42 enforced. We understand most of the people returned were subject to T-42. In addition to the reportedly approximately 1000 Haitians removed by air). The decrease in crossings by Haitians appears to be influencing the lower flight levels.

- Mexico (2), Same as last 5 weeks, and 1/4 the run rate up until 2 months ago. Return cities were Villahermosa and Mexico City, same as last 4 weeks. In June there were 24 flights and then from July through Jan between 30 and 40. From Sept through Jan there were about 9 flights per week to 6 different cities, and similar to every week: Mexico City (2), Guadalajara (2), Puebla (1), Morelia (1), Villahermosa (1), and Queretaro (2). CBP refuses to answer our inquiry about the drop. We are still befuddled, especially as encounters, even considering recidivism.

- El Salvador (1), up 1 from last week and the same as 4 of last 5 weeks. Points to deportations only…not T42.

- Guatemala (2), up 2 from last week and the highest in last 6 weeks. However 1 flight was coupled with a flight to El Salvador. Points to deportations only…not T42.

- Ecuador (2), up 1 from last week, and follows 10 weeks at 1 per week. . Both were coupled with a Honduras flight as has been typical.

- Honduras (3), up 1 from last week, and more than the 1 or 2 per week over last 6 weeks. Both were coupled with a flight to Ecuador.

- Dominican (1), up 1 from last week and in pattern of one about every other week

- NOTEWORTHY THIS WEEK

 Through March, 637,363 asylum seekers have been turned back and expelled under the illegal CDC order (title 42) since mid-March, 103,900 alone in March, or 60% of all encounters, down from the T-42 average of 77% (March2020-2021).

 The Detainee population increased 891 last week, as of 5 May, following a large increase of 785 the prior week. The population has increased almost 3,000 (21%) over the past 2 months after falling steadily since over the last year. The population increased to 16,721 and is still under half of what it was at the beginning of May. Seems like a very big increase even considering the increase in encounters.

 37,025 people have been deported this fiscal year (beginning Oct 1,2020), 1,741 the two weeks ending 24 April. The pace is fairly steady at around 3,200 deportations per month.

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.