Press Release
Published on May 14, 2026
Washington, D.C. — In April 2026, ICE Flight Monitor tracked 245 removal flights, a monthly record since independent flight tracking began in 2020, according to a new report from Human Rights First. This spike was largely driven by a significant surge in removal flights to Mexico, which accounted for 28% (68 flights) of April’s total removal flights. The Trump administration appears to have suspended deportations of Mexican nationals via the U.S.-Mexico land border, which made up a significant percentage of removals, and is instead reportedly using ICE Air to transfer all Mexicans, including unaccompanied children, to southern Mexican cities such as Tapachula and Villahermosa. Read the
The findings also indicate a continued escalation of forced third country transfers, with confirmed flights reaching at least nine countries in April alone, including Uganda, Paraguay, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Costa Rica, Ghana, Equatorial Guinea, Cameroon, Poland and Moldova.
Disturbingly, a single ICE Air flight in April conducted deportation stops in Poland, Moldova, Armenia, Uzbekistan, Pakistan and Georgia — which lasted a grueling 51 hours while individuals onboard remained physically restrained for the entire journey, including layovers and fuel stops.
“These ICE flights represent a system operating in darkness,” said Savi Arvey, Director of Research and Analysis, Refugee and Immigrant Rights at Human Rights First. “People are disappearing, deported to countries where they face persecution, or sent to places they’ve never lived—all without transparency or due process.”
Domestic shuffle flights remained high, with April’s 1,132 shuffle flights dropping by only nine percent from the 1,240 flights over the previous month. ICE Flight Monitor also documented the use of U.S. Coast Guard planes to support ICE’s operations were paused in April.
Key findings from April 2026 include:
U.S. removal flights reached a record 245 flights to 38 countries, largely driven by a spike in removal flights to Mexico. These totals were a 94% increase in flights and 46% increase in the number of removal countries compared to the 126 removal flights to 26 countries in April 2025. Removal flights to Mexico accounted for 28% (68 flights) of April’s total removal flights. April also saw first-time removal flights to Uganda, Paraguay and Ethiopia, and included an alarming 51-hour multi-country deportation flight during which individuals were physically restrained the entire time.
Removal flights to southern Mexico surge to 68 flights as deportations of Mexican nationals over the land border appear to be paused. Starting April 13, removal flights to Mexico averaged 23 per week — far above the weekly averages of five earlier in 2026 and eight in April 2025. This spike is likely tied to a pause in deportations of Mexican nationals over the land border, with an apparent intent to deport Mexicans by ICE Air to southern cities like Tapachula or Villahermosa, making re-crossing more difficult. In recent months, only about 17% of Mexicans were removed by air each month, and since December 2025, they have included unaccompanied children.
April saw forced third country transfer flights to at least nine countries, including first-time flights to Uganda, Paraguay, and the Democratic Republic of Congo, as well as continued flights to Costa Rica, Ghana, Equatorial Guinea, Cameroon, Poland and Moldova. Forced third country transfer flights in April, which have been confirmed by ICE Flight Monitor, more than doubled from March. Additionally, the Trump administration continues to send non‑Ecuadorans to Ecuador, and non‑Hondurans to Honduras under relevant Asylum Cooperative Agreements, as well as non-Guatemalans to Guatemala outside of the parameters of the ACA with Guatemala. For more information on third country agreements, visit Third Country Deportation Watch.
U.S. Coast Guard appears to have paused immigrant enforcement flights as of April 2026. Starting in June 2025, U.S. Coast Guard aircraft expanded operations to support ICE in transferring individuals between detention centers in the interior United States. However, these “shuffle” flights appear to have paused as of April, with the last flight occurring on March 23, 2026. Since then, other ICE Air carriers appear to have taken over the transfer routes previously operated by the U.S. Coast Guard.
Air Wisconsin ramped up ICE Air flights, taking over domestic shuffle routes previously operated by the U.S. Coast Guard, Bighorn Airways, and small CSI Aviation planes, all of which paused operations in April. From December 2025 to March 2026, these three carriers accounted for 18-25% of all shuffle flights. Air Wisconsin—which joined the ICE Air network after CSI Aviation acquired its operations in January 2026—doubled its ICE Air operations from March and effectively took over the routes that used to be carried out on the paused carriers. In April, Air Wisconsin operated 36% of all domestic shuffle flights.
Read the report here.
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About ICE Flight Monitor
ICE Flight Monitor uses publicly available aviation data to track U.S. immigration enforcement flights operated by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and partner agencies. The project provides transparent, data-driven reporting to strengthen accountability and expose the human costs of mass deportation.
