Portugal's men's soccer team traveled to a World Cup match on the same aircraft that ferries detainees out of the country for the Trump administration's deportation operation, raising fresh scrutiny over how commercial carriers handle both celebrity clients and immigration enforcement work.
The Global Crossing Airlines plane, tail number N837VA, transported the Portuguese squad to Dallas on July 4 ahead of their match against Spain. Flight records show the Airbus conducted deportation-related missions the day before and after carrying the athletes. The same aircraft is one of the most heavily used in ICE's removal network, having flown more than 1,580 deportation flights since May 2023.
In March 2025, that plane was part of a controversial operation that moved more than 200 Venezuelans to El Salvador's Cecot mega-prison. A federal judge ordered the flights turned around due to lack of due process, but they departed and landed anyway. Video evidence posted by El Salvador's president shows the same tail number on the tarmac.
Some of the Venezuelan men transported on that aircraft say they were falsely accused of gang membership. Once in Cecot, several reported suffering physical and psychological abuse. Detainees on GlobalX flights have described being shackled at the hands and feet and not being informed of their destinations, often without notice to family members or lawyers.
Portugal is not the only World Cup team to have used GlobalX during the tournament. The France men's national team flew the airline at least three times, including a July 12 flight to Dallas for the semi-final against Spain. England and Iran also utilized GlobalX for tournament travel.
The Portuguese Football Federation said FIFA organized the July 4 charter. The team has flown with other carriers including American Airlines and TAP Air Portugal throughout the tournament. FIFA has not responded to requests for comment, and GlobalX declined to address the matter.
Anthony Enriquez, who leads the US advocacy and litigation team at the Robert & Ethel Kennedy Human Rights Center, said the dual use of GlobalX flights normalizes serious human rights violations tied to the immigration enforcement campaign. The simultaneous transport of world-renowned athletes and deportees allows companies to obscure their role in the crisis, he argued.
"The companies that are ferrying the footballers are really trying to downplay their role in a serious human rights crisis in the United States using sports and football and the World Cup to whitewash some of their other bad deeds," Enriquez said.
He called on national football federations to vet their airline partners more carefully and consider withdrawing contracts from carriers engaged in deportation flights. Budget carrier Avelo Airlines ended its ICE contract earlier this year, citing insufficient profitability after facing public pressure.
Author James Rodriguez: "The disconnect between a plane carrying a nation's sporting pride and the same aircraft hauling vulnerable immigrants raises uncomfortable questions FIFA and other sports organizations can't dodge."
Comments