Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) physically restrained deportees throughout a 51-hour flight that stopped in six countries last month, according to a report from Human Rights First. The journey, one of the longest under President Donald Trump, included drops in Poland, Moldova, Armenia, Georgia, Pakistan and Uzbekistan.
The report found that ICE conducted at least 245 removal flights in April, a monthly record since independent monitoring began in 2020. This marks a 94 percent increase from April 2025. The surge was driven partly by flights to Mexico, which accounted for at least 68 flights, and a doubling of third-country removals, where immigrants are sent to nations where they have no citizenship or legal ties.
Deportees on ICE flights are frequently bound with handcuffs, waist chains and leg irons for the entire journey. The agency has also used full-body restraint suits, which have been linked to over a dozen deaths in local law enforcement cases over the past decade. The report criticises the lack of transparency and due process, with Human Rights First's Savi Arvey stating, 'People are disappearing, deported to countries where they face persecution.'
A Department of Homeland Security spokesperson dismissed the report as 'insane', asserting that the use of restraints is standard protocol and essential for safety. The spokesperson noted that flights cannot operate for 51 continuous hours due to refuelling stops, but the report specified that restraints were maintained throughout layovers.
The administration has increasingly relied on third-country agreements, deporting over 17,500 immigrants to at least 21 countries since Trump took office. Critics argue these agreements, which involve secret payments totalling at least $44 million to over 30 countries, effectively outsource immigration enforcement in a legally dubious manner.
