ICE Air Operations — CSI Aviation Charter Flight Contract (FY2025-2026)
ICE pays CSI Aviation to manage the entire ICE Air charter flight program, including both international deportation flights and domestic detainee transfers. CSI then subcontracts to airlines including GlobalX, World Atlantic Airways, and others.
Contract Values
The ICE Air program has scaled dramatically under Trump’s second term:
| Period | Obligated Amount |
|---|---|
| FY2024 (Biden) | $363.9M |
| FY2025 (Trump) | $1.1B |
| FY2026 (first 5 months) | $673.4M |
| FY2026 potential ceiling | $1.5B |
Key Sub-Contracts
- March 2025 no-bid: Up to $219 million, March-August 2025 (extendable to February 2026), for removal flights
- FY2025 daily charter: $562 million for daily charter flights including scheduled large aircraft and high-risk transport
Flight Volume (2025-2026)
- 14,426 enforcement flights in the reporting period, up 89% year-over-year
- Deportation flights: Increased 46%
- Domestic transfer flights: Surged 132%, from 3,909 to 9,066 flights – the single largest category of growth
The domestic transfer surge is critical context: as ICE opens new detention facilities in remote locations (Montana, Louisiana, Texas), more flights are needed to move detainees through a geographically dispersed system. The flight budget is not just about deportation – it is the connective tissue of the detention infrastructure.
Subcontractor Revenue
- GlobalX: $246 million in 2025, flying 1,700+ deportation flights
- Classic Air Charter: $800.2 million in obligations (FY2025)
Congressional Scrutiny
House Democrats sent a letter to CSI CEO Allen Weh on May 28, 2025, demanding answers about the no-bid contract structure, safety conditions on flights, and the treatment of deportees.