The scale of climate pollution tied to US immigration enforcement has emerged as a striking consequence of accelerated deportation operations, with new data showing that federal air transport of migrants produced nearly 336,000 metric tonnes of carbon emissions in 2025 alone.
That figure represents an 88% jump from 2024, according to calculations shared with news organizations by Human Rights First and the American Friends Service Committee. The two organizations used International Civil Aviation Organization methodology to estimate emissions from Immigration and Customs Enforcement air operations, a figure that had not been previously quantified.
The trend is accelerating further. In the first four months of 2026, ICE flights have already contributed roughly 140,000 tonnes of carbon emissions, a pace that would push annual totals to more than 420,000 tonnes if sustained.
"We've seen a staggering increase of all US immigration enforcement flights," said Savitri Arvey, director of research and analysis for refugee and immigrant rights at Human Rights First. "The number of flights as well as the locations that the flights are going to have both expanded dramatically."
The emissions spike stems directly from a sharp uptick in deportations. Federal officials documented a record 245 removal flights in a single recent month. Research from the University of California's Deportation Data Project found that arrests of immigrants without criminal convictions jumped eightfold in January compared to the six months prior.
A typical day now involves approximately 22 airplanes conducting 58 enforcement flights across the country, according to Human Rights First's analysis. This represents a substantial expansion of ICE's air capacity, bolstered by a $205 million budget increase dedicated to these operations.
The emissions geography matters. Communities including Phoenix, El Paso, Harlingen, and Alexandria have become primary hubs for these flights, exposing local populations to concentrated air pollution. Planes idling, taking off, and landing at frequent intervals contribute to regional smog and emissions that descend to ground level over time.
"The pollution that these flights cause is causing harms to every single family in the United States," said Brett Heinz, global policy coordinator at the American Friends Service Committee.
Researchers and advocates note an ironic contradiction in climate terms. Climate change itself drives irregular migration by destabilizing regions and disrupting agriculture. Yet the federal government's efforts to combat unauthorized immigration are simultaneously accelerating the greenhouse gas emissions that worsen the very conditions pushing people to migrate.
"Climate change is a driver of migration," Heinz observed. "So the fact that the United States is accelerating climate change in its attempt to remove these immigrants seems like a vicious cycle in a very real way."
The scope of deportation destinations has expanded significantly. During 2024, removal flights reached 79 countries, compared to 45 the prior year, including African and Asian nations that had not previously received US deportation flights in recent history. Some flights now transport migrants to southern Mexico, far from their home communities, potentially in an effort to deter repeat crossing attempts.
Beyond international deportations, domestic transfers of migrants between detention facilities surged at least 132% between the final year of the previous administration and the current one, further multiplying flight emissions.
Mark Z Jacobson, professor of civil and environmental engineering at Stanford University, explained the public health toll. "Every tonne of carbon and black carbon and methane that's added to the atmosphere contributes more to global warming, and also the air pollutants contribute to air pollution mortality and morbidity."
When asked about the environmental impact, a Department of Homeland Security spokesperson did not address climate concerns directly, instead citing increased unauthorized border crossings during the previous administration and arguing that restraints on deportation flights are standard safety protocol.
The analysis was conducted as part of a USC Annenberg fellowship focused on health and climate journalism.
Author James Rodriguez: "The scale of carbon emissions from deportation flights reveals a policy contradiction that deserves far more public attention than it's received."
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