Most deportation flights are headed to Central American countries, Mexico, or U.S. military bases like Guantánamo Bay, often transferring immigrants to detention centers or border regions.

Immigration advocates are actively monitoring deportation flights at Seattle's King County International Airport, despite airlines using dummy call signs and blocking tail number data to hinder tracking.

ICE flights often involve chained detainees who are searched and restrained before boarding, with advocates providing live streams and videos to increase transparency.

Advocates continue to track these flights through shared data, open-source aircraft tracking tools, and county-operated cameras at Boeing Field, where immigration activities are visible.

The monitoring efforts aim to shed light on often-secretive immigration enforcement actions, highlighting concerns over human rights and accountability.

Organizations like Human Rights First have taken over the task of tracking these flights, emphasizing transparency and citizen oversight amid increasing secrecy.

Advocacy groups such as Witness at the Border and Human Rights First have stepped in to monitor flights, especially as airlines and ICE try to obscure flight details, with the latter launching the 'ICE Flight Monitor' project.

Despite record-high numbers of deportation flights and increased secrecy, community efforts and technological tools continue to challenge efforts to monitor U.S. immigration enforcement.

In July 2025, a record 1,214 deportation flights were tracked, with about 80% operated by three airlines: GlobalX, Eastern Air Express, and Avelo Airlines.

Since ICE rarely discloses flight details, advocates rely on open-source tracking data to document deportation activities and hold authorities accountable.

The increased operational secrecy by airlines and government agencies has made community-led monitoring efforts more vital than ever.

Advocates and volunteers are working to bring transparency and accountability to ICE deportation operations, despite efforts by airlines and authorities to keep flight details hidden.

Since the start of Trump's second term, nearly 6,000 deportation flights have been recorded through July 2025, marking a 41% increase over the same period in 2024, including 68 military flights to Guantánamo Bay.