Leaked Flight Records Show Trump Admin Moved Thousands of Immigrants Without Due Process Protections

An original investigation by The Guardian has uncovered that the Trump administration is moving immigrants around the U.S. in increasingly complex and opaque ways, with record numbers of deportation flights, widespread detainee transfers, and growing obstacles to legal representation.

According to The Guardian, leaked flight manifests and passenger data from Global Crossing Airlines (GlobalX)—a Miami-based charter company contracted by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE)—provide a rare look into the scale of ICE's operations between January and May 2025. The data covers more than 44,000 immigrants and documents over 1,700 flights, the majority between U.S. cities.

Nearly 3,600 immigrants were moved repeatedly, boarding five or more flights each, while others experienced up to 20 transfers between detention facilities. Many detainees were relocated without advance notice, often to facilities far from family, legal counsel, and their assigned courts. Attorneys cited in the report say these practices have resulted in "apparent violations of constitutional due process rights."

The Guardian found that nearly 1,000 children were transported during this period, including 22 infants and nearly 500 under the age of 10. In some cases, detainees were allegedly pressured into "voluntary" deportation after being threatened with separation from family members or transfers to distant facilities. "You end up in a continuous state of unknown for an indefinite period of time," said Faisal Al-Juburi of the legal aid group Raíces. "Families are being put into a purgatorial state."

A previous investigation published by the Associated Press on August 27 found that ICE deportation flights are reaching record levels, with 1,214 flights documented in July alone, the highest monthly total since tracking began. Activists monitoring ICE flights say airlines are increasingly using false call signs and blocking aircraft tail numbers from public tracking systems, making it harder to identify deportation flights.

ICE's reliance on charter carriers—including GlobalX, Eastern Air Express, and Avelo Airlines—has also intensified. Internal discussions within the Department of Homeland Security, confirmed by NBC News, indicate that Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem is pushing for ICE to purchase its own fleet of up to 30 aircraft, which could double deportation capacity to as many as 35,000 removals per month.