6/27/20

By Tom Cartwright

DEATH FLIGHTS – ICE ACCELERATES FLIGHTS AS COVID RAMPS UP IN THE US

21 DEPORTATIONS– THE MOST SINCE THE COVID SHUT DOWN ON MARCH 15

10 COUNTRIES PUNISHED WITH COVID EXPORTATION

WEEKLY SUMMARY – Friday 26 June, for the week of 22 June 2020

101 Flights. UP 22 from 79 last week, and SUBSTANTIALLY over the last 8 week average of 76.

WEEKLY SUMMARY

- 101 Flights, 22 MORE than last week, attributed to deportatio3 and domestic flight increases.

- 21 Deportations – 10 different countries - up 6 from last week.

- Mexico (6), same last week and to 3 different locations – see below.

- Honduras (5), up 1 from last week.

- Guatemala (2), same as last week.

- El Salvador (2), up 1 from last week.

- Jamaica (1), up 1 from last week.

- Haiti (1), up 1 from last week.

- Trinidad (1), up 1 from last week.

- Columbia (1), up 1 from last week

- Ecuador (1), up 1 from last week.

- Nicaragua (1), up 1 from last week.

- Last week there were also flights to the Dominican (1) and Brazil (1), which were not repeated this week.

- 13 Deportation US Connections, down 1 from last week.

- 22 Deportation Returns, up 8 from last week

- 45 Shuffle flights in the US, up 9 from as last week.

Ø Noteworthy this week:

Ø Haiti:This week death squad leader, Emmanuel “Toto” Constant was deported on the same plane as 23 innocent others to Haiti. There great fear of having Constant, convicted in absentia if crimes against humanity, back in Haiti where his group was linked to the murder of 3,000 people and where the political environment is extremely unstable. He was in prison in the US after conviction for mortgage fraud but he was released to ICE which fulfilled what they must see as their mission to export not just COVID but also violent political risk.

Ø Guatemala: Continues to take only 2 flights per week, each with about 50 people. They are now reeling from COVID acceleration. It was recently reported that 151 people in the working in the President’s office have tested positive. It was also reported that 6 deportees on a June 8 flight (of 40 adults and 10 children) tested positive even though the US pledged everyone would be tested before flights. Guatemala has been the only country successful in significantly ramping down deportation flights. Flights in Jan, Feb and March were 38, 45, 33, respectively. In May there were only 7 flights. Despite the ramp down, there have been 2,389 Guatemalan’s deported of which 361 were children since mid-March.

Ø Blood Money: If you wonder why some countries continue to allow these death flights to continue with the exportation of COVID. The answer is in the threats and blood money offered by the United States. The administration does not even try to hide it anymore. This week Pompeo announced $ 252 million in aid to El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras with in the first paragraph this statement “The assistance will promote US national security and further the President’s goal of decreasing illegal immigration to the United States.” There are also been threats of visa denials.

Ø Mexico: Deportation flights continue to be spread around in Mexico to Mexico City, Guadalajara and Villahermosa.

Ø Total detainees dropped 612 this week to 23,429. Reductions continue at a similar pace as a result not of releases but rather because of deportations and the border shut down and expulsions under the CDC order with no due process. Since March 16, over 41,000 people have been expelled at the border with almost 20,000 in May alone. Worse yet, over 2,000 unaccompanied children have been expelled and only 39 placed with ORR in May. WHERE ARE THE CHILDREN??

Ø 2,572 detainees have tested positive for COVID, up 362, or 16%, this week. 8,858 have been tested, up 1,494 this week, so 29% positive rate. This week’s 1,494 tests follows weeks of 2,258 and 1,950.

-There are 751 detainees in isolation of under monitoring, and decrease of 67 over 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.