Jasmine Crockett introduces 'TRACK ICE Act' to force transparency on Trump deportation flights
WASHINGTON, DC: As President Donald Trump intensifies efforts to crack down on illegal immigration, Rep Jasmine Crockett is firing back with a new bill.
Her bill targets federal immigration flights, calling for stricter transparency requirements and mandatory reporting on their use.
The measure, known as the Transparency Requirements for Aircraft Carriers to Know Immigration Conduct and Enforcement (TRACK ICE) Act, was introduced on Wednesday, January 21, alongside Rep Dan Goldman of New York, another Democrat who has frequently clashed with Trump.
Jasmine Crockett wants transparency in ‘ghost flights’
Crockett said the federal government has long run immigration flights without enough transparency, calling these “ghost flights” that tear families apart and keep loved ones in the dark.
“These ghost flights are tearing families apart, leaving loved ones in the dark, and giving immigration agencies free rein to act without oversight, transparency, and justice. It is Congress’s job to ensure they aren't operating above the law,” Crockett said in a statement on the legislation.
Her bill comes as Democrats push to add new limits on Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) operations after heavy protests erupted in Minneapolis following a fatal shooting there.
An ICE agent shot and killed 37‑year‑old Renee Nicole Good in her car in Minneapolis, prompting sharp disagreements over what happened.
Officials from the Trump administration said she impeded ICE operations at the time of her death, while Democrats argue the ICE agent acted recklessly and should face a criminal investigation.
Requirements in Jasmine Crockett’s TRACK ICE Act
Jasmine Crockett’s bill would require ICE and Customs and Border Protection (CBP) to publicly disclose information about immigration flights within 72 hours after they happen.
It would make agencies share details such as the aircraft’s identification code, departure and arrival times, and ICE Air mission designations.
The bill also would require the release of information about detainees, including their nationality, age group, sex, and family status.
It ends by requiring disclosure of “the type and quantity of any restraints used for the duration of the flights on each detained individual such as handcuffs, shackles on arms and legs or fully‑body restraint devices."
Jasmine Crockett receives praise from Robyn Barnard for TRACK ICE Act
Robyn Barnard, senior director of the Refugee and Immigrant Rights team at Human Rights First, highlighted the scale of immigration enforcement under the Trump administration.
Barnard shared, "In this first year of the Trump administration, we have witnessed a detention and deportation machine operating at a scale we have never seen before and enabled by the opaque ICE enforcement flight network."
She added, "Our ICE Flight Monitor project has tracked thousands of these flights transferring people far from their loved ones and counsel, even to countries that are not their own, and at times in violation of court orders. This government refuses to be transparent in its use of taxpayer dollars or its treatment of human beings."
Barnard concluded by writing, "We are deeply grateful for the leadership of Congresswoman Crockett in introducing the TRACK ICE Act to shine a light on a system that is not only cruel, but increasingly lawless, and to ensure there is accountability for the injustices it has caused."
