France national team uses ICE deportation planes for World Cup travel

Kylian Mbappé #10 celebrates with teammates after scoring the second goal during France and Senegal match on 16 June 2026 in New Jersey. Photograph: Dan Mullan/Getty Images View image in fullscreen Kylian Mbappé #10 celebrates with teammates after scoring the second goal during France and Senegal match on 16 June 2026 in New Jersey. Photograph: Dan Mullan/Getty Images France national team uses ICE deportation planes for World Cup travel The plane that French team used after match with Paraguay flew 44 deportation-related flights this year alone The French men’s national soccer team, whose star Kylian Mbappé is one of the world’s most outspoken athletes against far-right politicians, has been using a charter airplane company that is at the heart of the Trump administration’s mass deportation campaign. Images of the team posted on social media and flight tracking data show the French team have used Global Crossing Airlines (GlobalX) for at least three domestic flights between their World Cup games and base camp in Boston. That same airline charter company has operated more than half of ICE’s removal flights in 2024 and 2025. A 2025 Guardian investigation into the Trump administration’s deportation program, which closely examined five-months worth of leaked GlobalX data, revealed the extent to which the company served as the vehicle to move thousands of detainees – domestically and internationally – without notice, to locations far from their families, communities and legal counsel, leading to what experts have called violations of constitutional due process rights. Among other destinations, the company has flown detainees to El Salvador’s Cecot, a notorious mega-prison . Many onboard have described being kept in the dark about where their plane was headed or being shackled at their hands and feet. View image in fullscreen A screen grab of the French national team using Globall X ‘ICE Air’. Photograph: Obtained by The Guardian GlobalX has not responded to requests for comment. Representatives for the French national team did not respond to multiple requests for comment. The plane the French team took after their match against Paraguay has flown 44 deportation-related flights this year alone, and about 950 flights since 2022. The aircraft carrying the Frenchmen on 4 July was used to transfer detained immigrants from an Arizona detention center to Louisiana as recently as 1 July, according to data provided to the Guardian by ICE Flight Monitor . The group uses publicly available aviation data to track, document, and publish monthly reports on ICE flights and is housed at Human Rights First. “It’s common for certain carriers to oscillate between operating ICE flights and other private entity charter flights, including athletic teams, within a week or even on the same day,” said Sierra Randolph, a data manager for ICE Flight Monitor. The Guardian began looking into the issue after a video posted by the team’s official Instagram showed players including