Fact check: Have there been any reports of deportees being held on flights for extended periods?

1. Summary of the results

Based on the analyses provided, there is limited direct evidence of deportees being held on flights for extended periods. The sources reveal several concerning patterns in deportation operations, but most extended detention occurs at ground facilities rather than aboard aircraft.

The most relevant finding comes from a military base in Djibouti, where deportees were held for weeks before being transferred to South Sudan ^{[1] [2]}. However, this extended detention occurred at the base facility, not on the flights themselves.

One source mentions operational delays during deportation flights, including a woman waiting 30 minutes at the base of stairs for guards to assist her boarding, and detainees waiting in extreme weather conditions ^[3]. Another source describes a situation where deportation flights took off despite a court order to stop them and were not turned back as ordered ^[4], though it doesn't specify flight duration.

2. Missing context/alternative viewpoints

The original question lacks important context about the broader deportation infrastructure and detention practices. The analyses reveal several critical missing elements:

• Tracking and transparency issues: Hundreds of immigrants vanished from ICE's online locator after being flown to El Salvador, suggesting systemic problems with monitoring deportees during transport ^[5]
• Third-country deportation practices: The use of US military bases as intermediate detention facilities, particularly in Djibouti, represents a significant expansion of deportation operations that involves extended detention periods, though not specifically on aircraft ^[1]
• Legal challenges and compliance: There are documented cases of deportation flights proceeding despite court orders, indicating potential violations of legal protections ^[4]
• Detention of US citizens: The deportation system has also affected American citizens who were detained by ICE, highlighting broader issues with the identification and processing systems ^[6]

3. Potential misinformation/bias in the original statement

The original question appears narrowly focused on flight-specific detention periods, which may not capture the full scope of extended detention issues in the deportation system. While not necessarily containing misinformation, the framing could be misleading by:

• Overlooking ground-based extended detention: The most significant extended detention periods occur at facilities like the Djibouti military base, not on flights themselves ^[1]
• Missing systemic transparency issues: The question doesn't address the disappearance of deportees from tracking systems, which represents a more significant accountability problem ^[5]
• Ignoring legal compliance concerns: The focus on flight duration overlooks documented cases of flights proceeding despite court orders, which represents a more serious legal issue ^[4]

The question's narrow scope may inadvertently deflect attention from more substantial problems in the deportation system, including extended ground-based detention, tracking failures, and legal non-compliance.