NBC News had a close-up look at one of the final deportation flights to Central America during the Biden administration, when immigrant communities nationwide were still preparing for possible large raids by the new Trump government.
Here is the step-by-step breakdown of the voyage, which serves as an illustration of how a normal trip of this kind goes regardless of administration.
Although each immigration case is unique, the road starts with an arrest for every undocumented immigrant who is eventually deported. An arrest may be the consequence of a workplace raid, a straightforward run-in with the police, such a traffic stop, or, in the case of people with criminal histories, a knock on the door.
After that, aliens are sent to a detention center run by Immigration and Customs Enforcement, which may be nearby or several hours away. The Trump administration has pledged to construct additional detention facilities and collaborate with the military to construct temporary soft-sided structures for incarceration. At the moment, ICE operates just over 100 facilities across the country, with a combined capacity of 41,500 individuals.
Those who entered the country within the previous two years may be eligible for accelerated removal, which allows them to be deported in a matter of weeks without appearing before an immigration judge.
It has been known for years to pass between an arrest and deportation for immigrants who have been in the country for more than two years. Whether the Trump administration can expedite that process is uncertain.
An immigrant receives what is known as a final order of removal if a judge decides that they should be deported.
The individual would then normally be transported from a nearby airport to one of four staging points along the southwest border, which are in Mesa, Arizona; Alexandria, Louisiana; San Antonio, and Harlingen, Texas, either by a commercial airplane or, more frequently, by one of ICE’s ten aircraft.
After that, deportees spend a few days at the staging facility, which is comparable to the ICE detention centers. After that, they are driven back to the airport so they can board an aircraft that ICE Air Operations has chartered and be transported back to their nation.
Additionally, the Trump administration has begun to deport people to Guatemala that were held by the Biden administration using military aircraft. The Pentagon declared that an estimated 5,000 people who have been detained will be flown out by military aircraft.
The individuals being deported are permitted to bring one suitcase up to 40 pounds in weight on ICE flights, but they are not permitted to bring any carry-ons. Leg irons, belly chains, and handcuffs are used to restrain a large number of passengers. Children are not constrained, nor are the parents who accompany them. ICE authorities and public documents state that between 13 and 20 guards, along with medical personnel and food, accompany the trip.
The huge, typical ICE Air aircraft, which are hired by ICE, resemble any other commercial jet and can accommodate up to 150 passengers. ICE would need to greatly expand its fleet in order to increase deportations to the levels that President Donald Trump has pledged for his second term.
ICE officials stress that every flight necessitates a number of logistical procedures as well as meticulous diplomatic discussions with the nations that are taking the passengers. Deported migrants are not required to return to their home nations. For instance, Mexico refused to approve the landing of a military deportation flight on Friday, so it did not take off.
We’re discussing the plane itself, ground-based permits, fuel, employee and contractor pay, detention, expenses, and transportation. San Antonio Field Office Director Miguel Vergara described the flight that NBC News closely examined, saying that “there are a slew, a myriad, of things that are being considered and paid for in order for this operation to happen here today.”
Local officials meet the passengers once the plane lands and interview them. They usually get a medical evaluation as well. They are then taken back to their hometowns if needed.