Overview

• Approximately 200 Federal Air Marshals remain assigned to ICE deportation flights, providing onboard security and logistical support.
• The Air Marshal National Council has lodged a formal inspector general complaint, warning that the reassignments divert agents from their core counterterrorism mission.
• TSA leadership says the initiative aligns with the President’s mandate for expanded removal operations and maintains existing deployment levels on commercial passenger flights.
• The Air Marshal Association publicly backs the program, arguing that it keeps agents engaged in vital security work as they await creation of a standalone Federal Air Marshal agency.
• ICE deportation flights have risen by 34% from January to June, reaching nearly 4,800 removals and domestic transfers and intensifying the demand for expanded security coverage.