6/27/21

By Tom Cartwright

ICE Air Weekly Activity – Week of 28 June 2021. Photo – Cuidad Juarez, Mexico.

 The last 4 weeks have been very consistent in activity.

 8 removal flights this week, 1 less than last week, and what seems to be a new normal. Removals to 7 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.

 75 total flights, down just 3 from last week, and into a more normal range at 3 below the last 6-week average.

 Over the last 13 weeks through 24 June May, we have seen over 270 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

- 75 Total Flights. Down 3 from last week, and 3 below above the last 6-week average.

- 8 Removal (Deportation/Expulsions) – Down 1 from last week, and 2 below the prior 6-week average. But the last 4 weeks were all 8-9. To 7 different countries in Latin America, South America, and the Caribbean.

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

- 7 return flights. Up same as last week and same as the prior 6-week average, consistent with removal flights.

- 55 Shuffle flights. Down 1 from the prior week and 2 below the prior 6-week average. After the

- Haiti (0), Noting the 5th 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.

- Mexico (2), Same as last 12 weeks, and 1/4 the run rate up until 4 months ago. Return cities were Villahermosa and Mexico City, same as last 10 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 8 weeks and the same as 11 of last 12 weeks. Points to deportations only…not T42.

- Guatemala (1), same as last 2 week and same as 6 of last 7 weeks.

- Ecuador (0), down 1 from last week, and first week in 21 weeks without a flight. A change from the pattern over the last 3 months of 1 or 2 per week.

- Honduras (1), down 1 from last week, and was below the prior pattern of alternating between 2 or 3 per week.

- Columbia (1), up 1 from last week, and in the pattern of 1 every 3-4 weeks over the last 2 weeks.

- Jamaica (1), up 1 from last week and continues in the pattern of 1 per month.

- Nicaragua (1), up 1 from last week and now normally every 2-3 weeks. In this case it was the 1st in 4.

- 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 959. The population has increased over 10,000 since 4 December after falling steadily since over the last year. The population increased to 26,197, the highest level since 16 May, 2020. Book ins are up substantially, almost all from the border by CBP, not from ICE interior apprehensions.

 41,951 people have been deported this fiscal year (beginning Oct 1,2020), 1,615 the two weeks ending 20 June. 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.