The Trump administration has utilized high-cost private jets to execute a series of deportation flights transporting Palestinians from the United States to Israel, according to investigative reports from The Guardian and +972 Magazine. This operation marks a significant departure from standard immigration enforcement protocols.
Two confirmed flights have occurred, with the first departing on January 21st from Arizona, carrying eight individuals to Tel Aviv. A subsequent flight took place on Monday, with the passenger count remaining unclear though the luxury aircraft featured sixteen seats. The flights were operated by aircraft owned by Dezer Development, a real estate conglomerate led by Gil Dezer, son of Israeli-American billionaire Michael Dezer.
The operational logistics involved a Florida-based company, Journey Aviation, which charters the jet to the U.S. government. Gil Dezer stated he is unaware of passenger identities, receiving only usage dates. Notably, the Dezer family maintains close ties to the Trump family, having donated over $1 million to Trump’s presidential campaign.
The policy is anomalous for multiple reasons. The U.S. government typically employs commercial aircraft for deportations, making the use of luxury private jets, costing up to $26,000 per flight hour, highly unusual. Furthermore, the Israeli government’s cooperation in repatriating Palestinians to militarily occupied territories represents a break from historical precedent, aligning with officials’ stated desires for Palestinian emigration to third countries.
The flights refueled in New Jersey, Ireland, and Bulgaria, drawing political condemnation in Dublin. Irish opposition lawmakers decried the permission to refuel as ‘reprehensible,’ ‘deeply disturbing,’ and ‘outrageous.’
Among those deported on the initial flight was 24-year-old Maher Awad, who was met by Israeli armed guards at Ben Gurion Airport and left near the village of Ni’lin in the West Bank. Awad, who arrived in the U.S. at age 15, had a Social Security number, worked, and paid taxes. His American girlfriend and newborn son remain in Michigan. Another deportee, 47-year-old Sameer Zeidan, left a wife and children in Louisiana. Both men reported being shackled for the entire transcontinental journey. Notably, neither was technically undocumented; Zeidan was a legal permanent resident who had failed to renew his green card after serving prison time a decade ago.
This operation exemplifies the administration’s aggressive expansion of deportation criteria to include immigrants with legal status who have past criminal records, even for old, minor offenses. Requests for comment from the Department of State and Homeland Security were not returned.