GlobalX Airlines (Global Crossing Airlines)
GlobalX Airlines (formally Global Crossing Airlines) is a Miami-based charter airline that has become the dominant operator of ICE deportation flights. Founded in 2018 by Ed Wegel (who previously co-founded the reincarnated Eastern Air Lines), GlobalX operates as a subcontractor to CSI Aviation, which holds the primary ICE Air managing contract.
Scale of Operations
- 2024: Operated nearly 80% of ICE’s 1,564 removal flights
- 2025: Flew more than 1,700 deportation flights, moving over 44,000 people, earning more than $246 million
- Original contract: Five-year emergency contract signed September 2023, initially projected at $65 million/year – actual revenue nearly quadrupled the projection
Safety Concerns
A ProPublica investigation published April 1, 2025 documented serious safety concerns raised by GlobalX flight attendants working ICE Air deportation flights:
- Passengers are handcuffed and shackled during flights
- Flight attendants reported they could not safely evacuate the aircraft in an emergency because passengers were restrained
- Attendants described the conditions as a “disaster waiting to happen”
- FAA safety regulations may be violated by the inability to evacuate shackled passengers
- Flight attendants reported emotional distress: “I cried”
Notable Incidents
- March 2025: GlobalX operated a flight carrying hundreds of Venezuelans to El Salvador’s CECOT mega-prison despite a federal judge’s order blocking the deportation. This became the centerpiece of the Abrego Garcia Supreme Court case.
NCAA Controversy
In March 2026, immigration activists targeted GlobalX’s dual role as both a deportation airline and NCAA charter provider, launching “De-ICE These Flights” protests during March Madness. The campaign drew attention to the same planes that deport immigrants being used to fly college basketball teams.
Sources
- ProPublica: Inside ICE Air: Flight Attendants Say Disaster Is “Only a Matter of Time” (Apr 2025)
- OpenSecrets: Which air carriers are positioned to benefit from increased deportations? (May 2025)
- Truthout: Which Air Carriers Are Poised to Cash In From Trump’s Mass Deportations?
- Democracy Now: “De-ICE These Flights!” Activists Target NCAA Charter Airline (Mar 2026)
- Wikipedia: Global Crossing Airlines