Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Tom Cartwright @tomcartwright.bsky.social · 5h

✈️👀 Must read for all things ICE Air both domestic and deportations. Many important areas covered such as countries of deportation, 3rd country removals, and Guantanamo activity.

ICE Flight Monitor @iceflightmonitor.bsky.social · 6h

(1/2) 🚨The September 2025 ICE Flight Monitor report documents a record 1,464 U.S. immigration enforcement flights, including removals to 48 countries—the highest # of removal destinations recorded since at least 2020.
humanrightsfirst.org/library/ice-...

ICE Flight Monitor: September 2025 Monthly Report - Human Rights First

Executive Summary Since taking office on January 20, 2025, the Trump administration has pursued an unprecedented mass deportation agenda. U.S. officials have adopted a range of new tactics to achieve ...

humanrightsfirst.org

1 10

Tom Cartwright @tomcartwright.bsky.social · 3d

Because the Supreme Court will not/cannot stand against the Admin.

1 3

Tom Cartwright @tomcartwright.bsky.social · 3d

Because for money they will do his bidding.

1

Tom Cartwright @tomcartwright.bsky.social · 3d

✈️👀 Eswatini third country removal - again

ICE Flight Monitor @iceflightmonitor.bsky.social · 3d

The small jet landed in Eswatini after fuel stops in Puerto Rico, Senegal, and Angola—likely the second removal flight to Eswatini carrying third-country nationals, after the first in July. Individuals on board were shackled for over 26 hours.

5 110 190

Tom Cartwright @tomcartwright.bsky.social · 3d

Likely Eswatini 3rd Country deportation developing in below tracking.

ICE Flight Monitor @iceflightmonitor.bsky.social · 4d

UPDATE: UPDATE: The small Journey jet made a fuel stop in Senegal and is now heading south—en route to carry out third-country removals to Eswatini, potentially with another fuel stop

3 7

Tom Cartwright @tomcartwright.bsky.social · 4d

@iceflightmonitor.bsky.social documents and records it all. They will be issuing their monthly report shortly. They will post here.

1 3

Tom Cartwright @tomcartwright.bsky.social · 4d

Getting more interesting. Africa. Follow…

Tom Cartwright @tomcartwright.bsky.social · 4d

This flight could be quite interesting to follow.

ICE Flight Monitor @iceflightmonitor.bsky.social · 4d

A small Journey jet (N352BH) just took off from Alexandria, LA. We’ll be monitoring to see whether it's a possible deportation to a home country or a possible third-country removal, as Journey jets have frequently been used for third-country removals.

5 9

Tom Cartwright @tomcartwright.bsky.social · 4d

This flight could be quite interesting to follow.

ICE Flight Monitor @iceflightmonitor.bsky.social · 4d

A small Journey jet (N352BH) just took off from Alexandria, LA. We’ll be monitoring to see whether it's a possible deportation to a home country or a possible third-country removal, as Journey jets have frequently been used for third-country removals.

1 11 24

Tom Cartwright @tomcartwright.bsky.social · 6d

Small jet ICE Air deportation underway to Vietnam.

ICE Flight Monitor @iceflightmonitor.bsky.social · 6d

ICE Air removal flight JNY86 took off from Phoenix, AZ on a 14-seat small jet. It's now bound for Hanoi and Vietnam, with fuel stops in Honolulu and Guam.

1 13 18

Tom Cartwright @tomcartwright.bsky.social · 7d

✈️👀 ICE Air Deportation flight to Casablanca. A first.

ICE Flight Monitor @iceflightmonitor.bsky.social · 7d

An ICE deportation flight (OAE3671) that departed Phoenix, AZ yesterday morning has just landed in Casablanca, Morocco after stops in Senegal (likely fuel) and Mauritania. This marks the 1st deportation to Morocco since at least 2020 when ICE flight tracking began.

1 13 14

Tom Cartwright @tomcartwright.bsky.social · 8d

The Iran deportation has landed in Tehran please see @iceflightmonitor detailed thread below. A true act of inhumanity.

ICE Flight Monitor @iceflightmonitor.bsky.social · 8d

UPDATE: the Qatar Air charter flight (QTR7312) transferring Iranians sent to Doha on an ICE Air plane (OAE3657) landed in Tehran at around 10:30 local time / 3AM EST

2 16 26

Tom Cartwright @tomcartwright.bsky.social · 8d

Iran deportation update from @iceflightmonitor.bsky.social likely transfer of people in Qatar to a Qatar Air charter that appears now headed to Tehran. Watch for their confirmation of landing.

ICE Flight Monitor @iceflightmonitor.bsky.social · 8d

UPDATE: a Qatar Airways plane (QTR7312) departed Doha and is heading toward Tehran. This is likely the charter flight carrying the Iranians flown to Doha on an ICE deportation flight. The ICE Air plane (OAE3657) has left Doha and is heading back west.

1 3 9

Tom Cartwright @tomcartwright.bsky.social · 9d

✈️👀‼️. Likely return of people to the kind and gentle regime of Iran. So certain they will be safe and secure there- NO. Unbelievable. Follow the thread below for updates from @iceflightmonitor.bsky.social

ICE Flight Monitor @iceflightmonitor.bsky.social · 9d

We have been monitoring an ICE Air flight that departed Alexandria, LA late last night. It was expected to depart at 17:55 EST with a scheduled stop in Guantanamo. Instead it flew directly to Puerto Rico, likely to refuel before its current route to Cairo, Egypt (likely to refuel again).

3 7

Tom Cartwright @tomcartwright.bsky.social · 14d

Good to understand the reason for the skip and also curious if Everglades camp is temporary pending flight resumption- and when.

ICE Flight Monitor @iceflightmonitor.bsky.social · 14d

(1/2) On Wednesday, the biweekly ICE deportation flight to Venezuela diverted while en route from El Paso, TX to Aruba and returned to the U.S., landing near the Everglades detention center.

1 7

Tom Cartwright @tomcartwright.bsky.social · 14d

US/Africa: Expulsion Deals Flout Rights
www.hrw.org/news/2025/09...

US/Africa: Expulsion Deals Flout Rights

The United States’ recent expulsions of third-country nationals to Eswatini, Ghana, Rwanda, and South Sudan have exposed several hundred people to a risk of arbitrary detention, ill-treatment, and ref...

www.hrw.org

8 15

Tom Cartwright @tomcartwright.bsky.social · 14d

✈️👀 This could be the second deportation ona Uzbekistan plane and may include 3rd country nationals as a prior one. Follow below.

ICE Flight Monitor @iceflightmonitor.bsky.social · 14d

An Uzbekistan Airways flight that departed JFK Airport last night and is en route to Tashkent may be carrying third-country nationals. A previous flight with similar characteristics on April 30 deported more than 131 Central Asians, including citizens from Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Uzbekistan.

3 74 140

Reposted by Tom Cartwright

Aaron Reichlin-Melnick @reichlinmelnick.bsky.social · 15d

News is now reporting that two "detainees" were killed. Unclear whether that means people who were actively being transported or whether that means it was people going to the ICE Field Office for a check-in who got shot going into the building.

Author: Rachel Behrndt, Rebecca Lopez
Published: 7:10 AM CDT September 24, 2025
Updated: 7:58 AM CDT September 24, 2025
Facebook
DALLAS — Two ICE detainees were killed and one person was injured at a Dallas ICE facility Wednesday morning and one shooter is dead, police sources tell WFAA.

Police responded to a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement office shortly before 7 a.m. Wednesday at 8101 North Stemmons Freeway in Dallas, off Interstate 35E. Sources told WFAA that police were searching for a possible sniper or multiple shooters. It remains unclear if there were any other shooters involved in the incident.

7 99 340

Tom Cartwright @tomcartwright.bsky.social · 19d

“We must also defend human rights while the blaring horns of power claim that human rights are a mechanism to defend criminals.” This could have been written today. Read about this inspiring man. www.nytimes.com/2025/09/18/w...

José María Tojeira, 78, Dies; Pursued Killers of His Fellow Priests

www.nytimes.com

6 24

Tom Cartwright @tomcartwright.bsky.social · 20d

Some unusual deportation stops in Africa.

ICE Flight Monitor @iceflightmonitor.bsky.social · 20d

UPDATE: The ICE deportation flight made 3 additional stops in Zimbabwe, Zambia, and Mozambique after Ghana. This is the first deportation flight to Mozambique since at least 2020, and the first to Zimbabwe and Zambia since June and December 2024, respectively.

ICE Flight Monitor @iceflightmonitor.bsky.social · 20d

UPDATE: The ICE deportation flight just landed in Accra, Ghana. It took place on a small jet (max 14 passengers)

5 11

Tom Cartwright @tomcartwright.bsky.social · 21d

This is certainly worth watching given all the activity in East Africa.

ICE Flight Monitor @iceflightmonitor.bsky.social · 21d

An ICE flight appears to currently be en route to West Africa. It departed from Phoenix, AZ, made a stop in Alexandria, LA, and refueled in Puerto Rico and Senegal. ICE Flight Monitor is actively monitoring and will update here

7 17

Tom Cartwright @tomcartwright.bsky.social · 21d

Vigilance continues.

ICE Flight Monitor @iceflightmonitor.bsky.social · 21d

(1/2) ICE Flight Monitor tracked the deportation flight on a military plane that took 14 third-country nationals to Ghana. The flight left Alexandria, LA on Friday, Sept. 5, refueled in St. Croix before landing in Accra, Ghana.
wtop.com/world/2025/0...

What to know about the US deportations to non-citizen African countries - WTOP News

DAKAR, Senegal (AP) — Ghana is the latest African country that has received third-country nationals deported by the U.S. or has agreed to receive them, though the legality of the approach is being…

wtop.com

2 13

Tom Cartwright @tomcartwright.bsky.social · 22d

Trump’s mass deportations bring a new wave of family separations

1 2 9

Reposted by Tom Cartwright

The New York Times @nytimes.com · 22d

Dozens of Russian deportees have been loaded twice onto mass deportation flights, a new phenomenon during the Trump administration. The Department of Homeland Security said it was saving taxpayer dollars by “efficiently flying illegal aliens to their home country on large flights.”

He Fled Putin’s War. The U.S. Deported Him to a Russian Jail.

Antiwar Russians are being sent back as part of President Trump’s immigration crackdown, despite facing imprisonment and other dangers.

nyti.ms

12 61 110

Tom Cartwright @tomcartwright.bsky.social · 24d

50 hours. In a plane seat. In shackles.

ICE Flight Monitor @iceflightmonitor.bsky.social · 24d

ICE Air ran an excruciatingly long 50-hour deportation flight on Sept. 11-12, stopping at Guantanamo Bay before deporting people to Mauritania, Nigeria, Ghana, Cameroon, DRC, & Guinea. The plane also stopped in Senegal on the way there and back—likely for fuel—and in Ghana again on the return.

2 37 72

Tom Cartwright @tomcartwright.bsky.social · 27d

✈️👀. Wow! This is dramatic to say the least!

ICE Flight Monitor @iceflightmonitor.bsky.social · 27d

After multiple flights per day in the first four weeks of August, removal flights to Mexico stopped on August 28th- the first hiatus after consistent flights to Mexico since January 2024. Since then, it appears that all deportations are taking place at the land border.

1 3 10