CSI Aviation is the primary managing contractor for ICE Air Operations, the federal government’s deportation and detainee transfer flight program. Founded in 1979 by Allen Weh, a retired Marine Corps colonel and former chair of the New Mexico Republican Party, CSI does not operate aircraft directly. Instead, it subcontracts with charter and commercial airlines – GlobalX, World Atlantic Airways, and others – to conduct deportation and domestic transfer missions.

Scale of Operations (2025-2026)

CSI Aviation’s ICE revenue has tripled since the beginning of Trump’s second term:

• FY2024 (Biden’s last year): $363.9 million in ICE-related contracts
• FY2025 (Trump’s first year back): $1.1 billion in total obligations, including a $562 million contract for daily charter flights
• FY2026 (first five months): $673.4 million in obligations, with a potential ceiling of $1.5 billion
• No-bid contract (March 2025): Up to $219 million for removal flights, March-August 2025, extendable to February 2026

In total, CSI has signed contracts worth more than $650 million in the last three years, though actual obligations have far exceeded that as the deportation machine scaled up.

Flight Volume

ICE conducted 14,426 enforcement flights in the reporting period ending early 2026, an 89% increase from the prior year. The largest jump was not in deportation flights but in domestic transfers between detention facilities, which surged 132% (from 3,909 to 9,066 flights). This reflects the expanding detention infrastructure – as new facilities open in remote locations, more flights are needed to shuttle detainees through the system.

Political Connections

Allen Weh is a prominent New Mexico Republican insider:

• Former chair of the New Mexico Republican Party
• Unsuccessful 2014 U.S. Senate candidate
• Trump donor
• The no-bid contract structure has drawn congressional scrutiny; on May 28, 2025, House Democrats sent a letter to Weh demanding information about ICE Air operations

Subcontractor Airlines

CSI subcontracts actual flight operations to:

• GlobalX – Miami-based, operates ~80% of removal flights
• World Atlantic Airways – Overflow capacity
• Avelo Airlines – Operated May 2025-January 2026, withdrew under public pressure
• Gryphon Airlines – Gulfstream jets for long-distance flights to Africa, Pacific, Europe

Sources

• POGO: Meet the ICE Contractor Running Deportation Flights (Feb 2026)
• OpenSecrets: Some major Trump donors are now reaping billions in ICE contracts (Mar 2026)
• House Democrats letter to Allen Weh, CSI Aviation (May 28, 2025)
• USASpending.gov: CSI Aviation contract
• ABQ Journal: Albuquerque-based company a big-time player in ICE deportation flights
• KUNM: Albuquerque aviation company files complaint after losing federal deportation contract