The United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agency says it has coordinated with the US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) in facilitating multiple removal flights, including single adults and family units, to Cuba, Haiti and Jamaica.
On Friday, ICE said that nationals from Angola, Central America, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru and Venezuela were also deported as part of dozens of other routine removal flights conducted throughout the hemisphere and around the world.
Since May 2023, ICE DHS has removed or returned more than 300,000 individuals, including more than 45,000 individual family unit members, to their respective countries.
“Individuals who lack a lawful basis to stay in the United States are ordered removed, consistent with US law,” ICE said. “All individuals who are removed have been screened for protection concerns.
“This policy applies to all noncitizens regardless of nationality to ensure the orderly and humane processing, transfer, and removal of single adults, family units and others determined to be removable,” it added.
ICE said noncitizens placed into removal proceedings receive their due process from 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 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 2022, ICE said its Enforcement and Removal Operations conducted 72,177 removals to more than 150 countries worldwide.