8/29/20

By Tom Cartwright

DEATH FLIGHTS - WEEK OF 24 August – please share for transparency

- LAST WEEK: ICE AIR FLIGHTS TO GUATEMALA (5) AND TO MEXICO (8) INCREASE. 8 UNACCOMPANIED CHILDREN DEPORTED TO GUATEMALA TEST POSITIVE FOR COVID THERE.

- FLIGHTS TO GUATEMALA IN 9 OF THE LAST 9 ICE AIR FLIGHT DAYS. FIRST WEEK SINCE 9 MARCH THAT THERE HAS BEEN A FLIGHT EVERY DAY.

- 8 FLIGHTS TO MEXICO – THE MOST OF ANY WEEK THIS YEAR. RARE SATURDAY FLIGHT TO A NEW DESTINATION, PUEBLA. WATCHING TO SEE IF IT ENTERS ROTATION, OR AN ISOLATED CASE.

- ALL FLIGHT CATEGORIES WERE CLOSE TO THEIR PRIOR 6-WEEK AVERAGES.

- 18 DEPORTATION FLIGHTS TO 5 DIFFERENT COUNTRIES IN LATIN AMERICA AND THE CARIBBEAN. SAME AS THEIR LAST 6-WEEK AVERAGE.

- SHUFFLE FLIGHTS OF 40 WERE AT THEIR LAST 6-WEEK AVERAGE

WEEKLY SUMMARY

- 89 Total Flights. Down 8 from last week’s high level and 2 above the last 6-week average of 87.

- 18 Deportations – down 2 from last week and to 5 different countries. Same as their most recent 6-week average of 18.

- Mexico (8), up 1 from last week, and the most of any week this year. Flights continue to 4 different cities with a fifth added this week: Mexico City (2), Guadalajara (2), Villahermosa (2), and Morelia (1), Puebla (1). Usual pattern except for Puebla.

- Honduras (3), down 1 from last week, and now seems to alternate between 3 and 4 per week. In July there were about 4 per week and prior to that 4-5 per week.

- Guatemala (5), up 1 from last week and up 2.5 from the prior 6-week average of 2 or 3 flights per week. See more below.

- El Salvador (1), same as last week, and the 4th week at 1 after running at 2 per week for around 7 weeks. We will witness to see if this lower number holds.

- Haiti (1), same as last week, and 4 weeks in a row at 1. Prior there were flights about every other week.

- 14 Deportation US Connections, same as last week.

- 17 Deportation Returns, down 1 from last week

- 40 Shuffle flights in the US, down 5 from as last week, and at the last 6-week average.

Ø NOTEWORTHY THIS WEEK

- Jamaica flight was scheduled but did not fly. Could have been a mistake, but one is due as none for last 4 weeks. Watching this week.

- Nicaragua deportations used to average about 1 flight every 2 weeks but it has now been 5 weeks in a row without a deportation to Nicaragua. The last deportation was 21 July.

- Guatemala received 5 deportation flights this week, and 9 in the last 9 flight days. Not since the week of 9 March has there been one each day of the week. Moreover, the number on each flight is increasing. The flights Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday included 100, 95,100 and 94 deportees, respectively. Friday’s is not yet available. Prior to last week Guatemala restricted flights 2 per week and below 75 deportees. On Friday, 21 August the flight carried 60 unaccompanied children, 8 of whom subsequently tested positive for COVID.

- Mexico accepted a rare Saturday flight and to a new city, Puebla. We are not sure if it was just an isolated case, or if the number of flights will increase and/or Puebla will join as the 5 destination for deportation flights. We will witness. We know from last month’s Border Patrol statistics that the number of single Mexican Nationals crossing and expelled under the CDC order has been increasing and that 34% are people that have tried multiple times. August statistics will be out in about 2 weeks.

Ø The Detainee population dropped only 100 this week, to 21,007. The June weekly average decrease was about 650. May saw decreases of about 1,000 per week.

Ø Through July Over 105,000 seekers have been turned back and expelled under the illegal CDC order (title 42). illegal order since mid -March. 35,000 alone in July out of 38,000 encounters and up from 28,000 in June. We expect August numbers in a week to 10 days.

- 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.

Ø 5,300 detainees have tested positive for COVID, up significantly this week by 557 or 12%. Yesterday, cases increased by 252, the second highest daily increase in my records since the increase of 381 on 14 July. 233 cases alone were found in LaPalma Center in Arizona bringing total there to 356. At LaPalma 1000 detainees were tested. Testing did increase more than usual last week by 2,526 to 26,490, so the positivity rate remained at 20%. There are 850 detainees in isolation of under monitoring, up 55 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.