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Inside ICE Air (and Global X): Flight Attendants on Deportation Planes Say Disaster Is “Only a Matter of Time” (www.propublica.org)
submitted 1 year ago by [M] to c/politics@sh.itjust.works
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A second said his planes’ air conditioning kept breaking — an experience consistent with at least two publicly reported onboard incidents — and their lavatories kept breaking, something another flight attendant reported as well. But the planes kept flying. “They made us flush with water bottles,” he said.

But the flight attendants were most concerned about their inability to treat their passengers humanely — and to keep them safe. (In 2021, an ICE spokesperson told the publication Capital & Main that the agency “follows best practices when it comes to the security, safety and welfare of the individuals returned to their countries of origin.”)

A standard flight had more than a dozen private security guards — contractors working for the firm Akima — along with a single ICE officer, two nurses, and a hundred or more detainees. (Akima did not respond to a request for comment.) The guards were in charge of delivering food and water to the detainees and taking them to the lavatories. This left the flight attendants, whose presence was required by the FAA, with little to do.

Global X Airlines: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Global_Crossing_Airlines

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Inside ICE Air: Flight Attendants on Deportation Planes Say Disaster Is “Only a Matter of Time” (www.propublica.org)
submitted 1 year ago by [M] to c/BoycottUnitedStates@europe.pub
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36
Inside ICE Air: Flight Attendants on Deportation Planes Say Disaster Is “Only a Matter of Time” (www.propublica.org)
submitted 1 year ago by to c/news@lemmy.world
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Reporting Highlights

  • Unexpected Role: Flight attendants were told they would fly rock bands, sports teams and sun-seekers. Then Global Crossing Airlines started expanding into federal deportation flights.
  • Human Struggles: Some flight attendants said they ignored orders not to interact with detainees. “I’d say ‘hola’ back,” said one flight attendant. “We’re not jerks.”
  • Safety Concerns: Flight attendants received training in how to evacuate passengers but said they weren’t told how to usher out detainees whose hands and legs were bound by shackles.
91
Inside ICE Air: Flight Attendants on Deportation Planes Say Disaster Is “Only a Matter of Time”. (www.propublica.org)
submitted 1 year ago by to c/news@lemmy.world
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Reporting Highlights

  • Unexpected Role: Flight attendants were told they would fly rock bands, sports teams and sun-seekers. Then Global Crossing Airlines started expanding into federal deportation flights.
  • Human Struggles: Some flight attendants said they ignored orders not to interact with detainees. “I’d say ‘hola’ back,” said one flight attendant. “We’re not jerks.”
  • Safety Concerns: Flight attendants received training in how to evacuate passengers but said they weren’t told how to usher out detainees whose hands and legs were bound by shackles.