Tracking Deportation Flights: How Seattle Advocates Overcome Obstacles to Monitor Immigration Flights
Immigration advocates in Seattle regularly gather outside King County International Airport to monitor deportation flights and inform the public about their destinations and passenger numbers. In the past, they could easily track these flights through public websites. However, airlines have started using fake call signs and blocking tail numbers from tracking websites, making it challenging for advocates to keep tabs on the increasing number of deportation flights during the Trump administration. To overcome these obstacles, advocates now rely on sharing information with other groups and utilizing data from an open-source exchange that tracks aircraft transmissions.