ACLU Sues ICE for Clues on Trump’s Deportation Plans

The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) is suing the federal government for information it says will reveal how the incoming Trump administration might expel millions of illegal immigrants.
Specifically, the lawsuit calls for the release of contracts, dating from Jan. 1, 2023, to the present, for deportation flights and ground transportation services. It also requests records showing the airfields that ICE Air uses or can access, as well as procedures for staging and staffing flights, including those involving unaccompanied children.
Alleging that ICE has failed to respond to previous public records requests, the ACLU asks the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California, Western Division, to compel the agency to hand over the documents immediately and block it from withholding similar records in the future.
“Despite the critical role these flights play in the removal system—in many instances, serving as the mechanism for deportation—ICE Air remains shrouded in secrecy,” the ACLU said in the complaint. “This secrecy has masked responsibility for serious abuses and danger on ICE Air flights.”
The ACLU said it has concerns that ICE Air could expand its transportation network to help the incoming Trump administration deport “more than 11 million people” from the United States.
An ICE spokesperson told The Epoch Times that the agency will not comment on the pending litigation.
President-elect Donald Trump made border security and immigration enforcement a cornerstone of his campaign, pledging to intensify deportations immediately upon taking office.
“President Trump will marshal every federal and state power necessary to institute the largest deportation operation of illegal criminals, drug dealers, and human traffickers in American history while simultaneously lowering costs for families,” Karoline Leavitt, spokeswoman for the Trump–Vance transition team, said in a statement on Monday to media outlets.
“The American people re-elected President Trump by a resounding margin giving him a mandate to implement the promises he made on the campaign trail, like deporting migrant criminals and restoring our economic greatness. He will deliver.”