6/12/21

By Tom Cartwright

ICE Air Weekly Activity – Week of 7 June 2021.

 8 removal flights this week, same as last week, the lowest since 8 the week of 12 April. Removals to 5 countries. As has been in most of the recent weeks, the majority of removal flights are on Friday, following the shuffle flights moving people around detention centers and staging people for removal.

 It continues to appears that the only removal flights to the Northern triangle countries and Nicaragua are deportation flights.

 98 total flights were the most if 5 weeks driven by 79 shuffle flights, the most in the last 6 weeks.

 Over the last 12 weeks through 11 June May, we have seen over 220 likely flights moving unaccompanied children from CBP stations to the new EIS and influx centers and to possible ORR shelters and for discharge. Importantly, at first these flights were all INTO EIS locations, but that is now reversing and we are seeing more OUT of EIS locations to other locations around the US. THEY ARE NOT IN THESE TOTALS as we do not consider them in the same category as ICE Air.

WEEKLY SUMMARY

- 98 Total Flights. Up 33 from last week, and 12 above the last 6-week average.

- 8 Removal (Deportation/Expulsions) – Same as last week, and 3 below the prior 6-week average. To 0nly 5 different countries in Latin America and the Caribbean.

- 5 connection flights. Up 1 from last week, and 1 below the prior 6-week average.

- 6 return flights. Same as last week and 2 below the prior 6-week average, consistent with removal flights.

- 79 Shuffle flights. Up 32 from the prior week and 17 over the prior 6-week average. As mentioned above this week was high, and we’ll see if it comes back to a more recent typical volume next week.

- Haiti (0), Noting the third week in a row without a flight following TPS designation. It has not been since mid-July that there were 2 weeks in a row without a flight to Haiti.

- TPS for Haitians in the US was extremely welcome news today as announced by Sec. Mayorkas. It will protect 150,000 Haitians in the US from deportation to the dangers of Haiti for at least 18 months. Thanks to Guerline Josef and the Haitian Bridge Alliance and other advocates for their tireless advocacy.

- Mexico (2), Same as last 10 weeks, and 1/4 the run rate up until 3 months ago. Return cities were Villahermosa and Mexico City, same as last 9 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. Many more Mexican Nationals are being expelled by land now, since at times over 4,000 more were returned by air.

- El Salvador (1), same as last 6 weeks and the same as 9 of last 10 weeks. Points to deportations only…not T42.

- Guatemala (1), up 1 from last week and same as 4 of last 5 weeks that there was not a flight.

- Ecuador (2), up 1 from last week, and follows a pattern over the last 2 months of 1 or 2 per week. One flight was coupled with a Honduras flights and one with a El Salvador flight.

- Honduras (2), same as last week, and now seems to be alternating between 2 or 3 per week. One was coupled with flights to Ecuador.

- NOTEWORTHY THIS WEEK

 Through April, 867,673 asylum seekers have been turned back and expelled under the illegal CDC order (title 42) since mid-March 2020, with 112,302 alone in April, or 62% of all encounters, down from the T-42 average of 73% (March 2020-May 2021).

 The Detainee population increased 993. The population has increased around 10,000 since 12 March (71%) after falling steadily since over the last year. The population increased to 24,100, the highest level since 6 June, 2020. Book ins are up substantially, almost all from the border by CBP, not from ICE interior apprehensions.

 40,336 people have been deported this fiscal year (beginning Oct 1,2020), 1,773 the two weeks ending 22 May. The pace is fairly steady at around 3,300 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.