ICE FLIGHT SURGE: 7,454 Enforcement Flights Jan–Aug 2025 — First Tracked Deportation to Rwanda and 81 Transfers to Guantánamo

Human Rights First’s ICE Flight Monitor (Aug 2025) documents an unprecedented escalation in U.S. immigration enforcement flights: at least 7,454 flights Jan.20–Aug.31 (a 34% increase vs. 2024), a record 1,393 flights in August, 240 removal flights in August, expanded destinations including a first tracked flight to Rwanda, and 4,422 domestic transfers including 81 to Guantánamo Bay. The patterns raise urgent legal and human-rights concerns and merit further investigation.