WASHINGTON, CMC – The United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agency says that it has collaborated with the US Department of Homeland Security and US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) in facilitating removal flights, including single adults and family units, to Cuba and Haiti.
ICE said on Friday that removal flights were also made to Central America and Venezuela from December 26 – 29.
“If a noncitizen arrives and has no legal basis to remain in the United States, they will be processed and removed quickly, consistent with US law,” said ICE in a statement. “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 by our laws and US international obligations.”
ICE said this applies to all noncitizens, regardless of nationality, “to ensure the orderly and humane processing, transfer, and removal of single adults and family units.”
During the past two weeks, ICE said it has conducted over 30 repatriation flights, transporting thousands of individuals back to their country of origin and repatriating over 5,000 individuals directly to Mexico.
Since May 12, the US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has removed or returned over 460,000 individuals, most of whom crossed the Southwest Border of the United States, including more than 75,000 individual family members.
“In seven months, this nearly exceeds the number removed and returned in all of FY19 (Fiscal Year 2019), and exceeds the number of removals and returns in each full fiscal year from 2015-2018,” ICE said.
“Daily removals and enforcement returns are nearly double what they were compared to the pre-pandemic average (2014-2019),” it added.
It said noncitizens placed into removal proceedings present their claims for relief or protection from removal before immigration judges in the immigration courts administered by the US Justice Department’s Executive Office for Immigration Review.
Due to operational security reasons, ICE said it does not confirm or discuss future or pending transportation operations.
ICE said its 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 said its Enforcement and Removal Operations conducted 142,580 removals and 62,545 Title 42 expulsions to more than 170 countries worldwide, including several in the Caribbean.
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