The Trump administration has allegedly used a private jet belonging to a past Trump donor and business partner to carry out a series of recent deportation flights, most recently a pair of removals to Israel.
The alleged flights to Tel Aviv, which departed the U.S. from Arizona in late January and earlier this week, took place on a private jet owned by property tycoon Gil Dezer, an investigation by The Guardian and +972 Magazine alleges.
Dezer, along with his father, the Israeli-American businessman Michael Dezer, have donated to past pro-Trump campaign efforts and worked with Trump on a series of Florida-based luxury projects through their company Dezer Development.
The jet used in the flights allegedly bore the company logo. Israeli outlet Haaretz reported on the arrival of the January flight, and published a photograph allegedly showing detainees stepping off a grey and black private jet towards a waiting group of security personnel.
The Independent has contacted Dezer Development, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, and the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs for comment.
The White House referred The Independent to ICE for questions regarding the alleged flights.
ICE reportedly chartered the flights through Journey Aviation, a Florida-based company that has previously been used for immigration flights.
Dezer told The Guardian in an email that he was “never privy to the names” of passengers or the purposes of flights when Journey used his jet for private charters.
“The only thing I’m notified about is the dates of use,” he said.
The Independent has contacted Journey Aviation for comment.
“Per longstanding Department policy, we do not discuss the content of private diplomatic and interagency conversations,” a State Department spokesperson told The Independent.
“The Trump Administration continues to prioritize the rapid deportation of illegal immigrants, especially those with criminal records, to restore border security and public safety and protect the American people,” the spokesperson added.
Men aboard the alleged January deportation flight said they were restrained in restrictive cuffs, arrived in Israel via Tel Aviv, and were left in the cold in prison jumpsuits at a checkpoint in the occupied West Bank, alarming advocates.
“Aside from the many irregularities with the deportation of eight Palestinians on a private jet and no due process, this transfer also violates the principle of non-refoulement, which prohibits the forcible return of individuals to a country where there are substantial grounds for believing that the person would be at risk of irreparable harm upon return, including persecution, torture, ill treatment or other serious human rights violations,” Gissou Nia, director of the Strategic Litigation Project at the Atlantic Council, told +972.
