9/7/20
By Tom Cartwright
DEATH FLIGHTS - WEEK OF 31 August – please share for transparency
- MORE ICE AIR FLIGHTS AND DEPORTATIONS THIS WEEK THAN SINCE PRE-PANDEMIC WEEKS.
- ICE Air flights totaled 115, including 24 deportations to 9 different countries in Latin America and the Caribbean.
- Panama deportation flight witnessed the first time this year – coupled with an Ecuador deportation flight.
- 6 rare Saturday flights included.
- It is unclear if this high volume is in preparation to take a holiday on Labor Day, but even high considering a holiday. Up 26 from last week.
- 6th city in the interior Mexico added.
WEEKLY SUMMARY
- 115 Total Flights. Up 26 from last week and 28 above the last 6-week average of 87.
- 24 Deportations – Up 6 from last week and to 9 different countries. Above most recent 6-week average of 17 by 7.
- Mexico (9), up 1 from last week, and the most of any week this year. Flights to 6 different cities with a Santiago de Queretaro added this week: Mexico City (2), Guadalajara (2), Villahermosa (1), Morelia (1), Puebla (1), and Queretaro (2).
- Honduras (3), same as last week, - all on Friday. 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), same as last week and up 2.5 from the June to mid-August levels of 2 or 3 flights per week.
- El Salvador (2), up 1 from last week, after running at 1 per week for 4 weeks.
- Haiti (1), same as last week, and 5 weeks in a row at 1. Prior there were flights about every other week.
- Panama (1), first observed deportation of this year.
- Ecuador (1), up 1 from last week but in its pattern of every other week.
- Columbia (1), up 1 from last week but in its pattern of every other week.
- Dominican (1) up 1 from last week but in its pattern of every other week.
- 20 Deportation US Connections, up 6 from last week, consistent with increase in deportations.
- 23 Deportation Returns, up 6 from last week, consistent with increase in deportations.
- 48 Shuffle flights in the US, up 8 from last week, and 8 above the last 6-week average.
Ø NOTEWORTHY THIS WEEK
- Panama: First observed likely deportation this year.
- Nicaragua: deportations used to average about 1 flight every 2 weeks but it has now been 6 weeks in a row without a deportation to Nicaragua. The last deportation was 21 July. It is not clear what has changed, but there has been some pressure to allow more Nicaraguans that have been against the Ortega regime to have asylum applications reviewed. 7 Representatives sent a letter to the President to not deport those activists who have been tortured by Ortega’s regime.
- Guatemala: received 5 deportation flights this week, and 14 in the last 14 flight days. Before last week, it had not been since the week of 9 March that there had been one each day of the week. Moreover, the number on each flight is increasing. Prior to a couple of weeks ago, Guatemala restricted flights 2 per week and below 75 deportees. Now close to 90-100 on each plane.We have inquiries with ICE and contacts in the Guatemalan government to try to find out what has changed. But we anticipate that they will not disclose.
- Mexico: Stepped up to 9 flights this week to 6 different interior cities. 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 just came out and they remain consistent at a high level. Will analyze shortly.
Ø The Detainee population dropped only 518 this week, to 20,489. The June weekly average decrease was about 650. May saw decreases of about 1,000 per week. But the last 2 weeks the reductions were only about 100 per week. We wonder if the low level of decreases in those weeks were related to the 2,000 arrests ICE reported from their nationwide sweep over the last few weeks.
Ø Through August, 147,866 asylum seekers have been turned back and expelled under the illegal CDC order (title 42) since mid-March, 42,136 alone in July, up 7,000 from July
- 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 5,469 detainees have tested positive for COVID, up this week by 169 or .5. Testing increased more last week by 2,398 to 28,888, so the positivity rate remained around 20%. There are 468 detainees in isolation of under monitoring, down significantly by 382, or 45%, this week. What we do not know, is how many of the decrease is because of deportations of those “recovered” from COVID.
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.