ICE contractor CSI Aviation secured billion-dollar contracts for deportation flights

The Project on Government Oversight covers CSI Aviation, a major Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) contractor for deportation flights, which is set to receive significant government funding through both a recent $128 million no-bid contract and a potential five-year contract worth billions. The company has been involved in several controversies, including a 2017 incident where 92 Somali immigrants were kept shackled on a grounded plane for nearly 23 hours in deplorable conditions.

The company's leadership has also been embroiled in political controversies. CEO Allen Weh was involved in a Bush-era Justice Department scandal—where he pushed the White House to remove New Mexico's top federal prosecutor, leading to investigations of improper partisan motivations in Justice Department dismissals—while his daughter and former CSI president Deborah Maestas participated as a "fake elector" in attempts to challenge the 2020 presidential election results.

Despite these controversies, CSI Aviation continues to expand its operations with ICE, having received at least $1.6 billion in federal funding since 2005. This includes the company's involvement in controversial deportation flights of alleged gang members, which occurred despite a court order blocking them. The administration justified these removals using the rarely invoked Alien Enemies Act of 1798.

CSI Aviation operates through a network of subcontractors, including GlobalX, which conducted 74 percent of ICE's removal flights in 2024. The company's growing role in immigration enforcement operations continues to draw scrutiny from human rights advocates and oversight organizations.