ICE conducts single adult, family unit removal flights Feb. 16

WASHINGTON — U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), a component agency of the Department of Homeland Security, working in close coordination across the Department including with U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), continued to facilitate removal flights of single adults and family units February 12 -18. Those included removal flights to Central America, Colombia, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Mexico and Peru. If a noncitizen arrives and has no legal basis to remain in the United States they will be processed and removed quickly, consistent with U.S. law.

Since May 12, 2023 to Feb 7, 2024, DHS has removed or returned over 530,000 individuals, the vast majority of whom crossed the Southwest Border, including more than 88,000 individual family members. The majority of all individuals encountered at the southwest border over the past three years have been removed, returned, or expelled. Total removals and returns since mid-May exceed removals and returns in every full fiscal year since 2013.

In keeping with standard practice, the United States ensures that all noncitizens without a legal basis to remain in the United States are properly screened for valid protection claims and withholding of removal in accordance with our laws and U.S. international obligations. This applies to all noncitizens, regardless of nationality, to ensure the orderly and humane processing, transfer, and removal of single adults and family units.

Noncitizens placed into removal proceedings present their claims for relief or protection from removal before immigration judges in the immigration courts, which are administered by the Justice Department’s Executive Office for Immigration Review. Due to operational security reasons, ICE does not confirm or discuss future or pending transportation operations.

ICE Air Operations facilitates the transfer and removal of noncitizens, including family units, via commercial airlines and chartered flights in support of ICE field offices and other DHS initiatives. In fiscal year 2023, ICE’s Enforcement and Removal Operations conducted 142,580 removals and 62,545 Title 42 expulsions to more than 170 countries worldwide.

B-roll for removal flights is available on DVIDS. DHS has made additional videos available to the public and the media including b-roll footage of removal flights, a public service announcement, and testimonials from migrants who have been removed.