This FOIA request seeks records and data from USAF about how the agency conducts military deportation flights. The U.S. government has dispatched around 30 military deportation flights globally. However, government officials have expressed concern, and submitted complaints regarding the treatment of their citizens on U.S. military aircrafts. The Trump administration has also deported migrants to third-countries. But upon arriving, government officials have stated some were unaware which country they were in, and others expressed fear of return to their home countries. Many of these flights included families and children. Because this is the first time the United States government is using military aircraft to carry out deportation flights, little public information exists regarding the military’s training in handling and communicating with migrants.

Military personnel don’t typically undergo training for immigration enforcement activities, and involving untrained military personnel heightens the risk of human rights abuses. Furthermore, Members of Congress have denounced the use of military aircraft to carry out deportations stating the Posse Comitatus Act explicitly forbids using military personnel for domestic law enforcement. The requested information will allow the public to understand the military’s training in interacting and communicating with migrants. Accordingly, the Council is seeking the following information:

• Training materials given to USAF personnel to for executing or providing support, during removal flights.
• Standards USAF must follow during removal flights including how to interact with migrants, including children and families.
• Flight manifests or flight logs, as well as records of data regarding the individuals on flights, including but not limited to individuals’ country of origin, age, date and time of removal, and country of removal.
• Communication regarding flights conducted after March 1, 2025.
• Cost of deportation flights.