The Trump administration has reportedly used a private jet owned by Gil Dezer, a past Trump donor and business partner, for a series of deportation flights, including two recent removals to Israel. The flights departed from Arizona in late January and earlier this week, according to an investigation by The Guardian and +972 Magazine.
Dezer, along with his father Michael Dezer, has donated to pro-Trump campaigns and collaborated with Trump on luxury real estate projects in Florida through their company Dezer Development. The jet used in the alleged flights bore the company logo. Israeli outlet Haaretz reported on the January flight's arrival and published a photograph showing detainees stepping off a grey and black private jet.
ICE reportedly chartered the flights through Journey Aviation, a Florida-based company. A DHS spokesperson stated that ICE does not contract directly with private aircraft owners and that all flights are arranged through approved air carriers. Dezer told The Guardian he was not informed of passenger names or flight purposes when Journey used his jet.
Men aboard the January flight reported being restrained in restrictive cuffs and left in cold prison jumpsuits at a checkpoint in the occupied West Bank. Gissou Nia of the Atlantic Council criticised the deportation, citing violations of due process and the principle of non-refoulement.
The Dezers have deep ties to Trump, having partnered on six Trump-branded real estate projects. Gil Dezer has described Trump as a childhood hero and a close friend. The Dezer jet has also been used for deportation flights to Kenya, Liberia, Guinea, and Eswatini, according to advocacy group Human Rights First.
