President Donald Trump’s administration has increased immigration detainee transfer flights from Minnesota to El Paso, amidst the ongoing controversial immigration raids in Minneapolis.
There were 26 domestic shuffle flights from Minneapolis to El Paso between Jan. 1 and Jan 25, according to data provided to the El Paso Times by the ICE Flight Monitor project at Human Rights First. These represented 72% of all flights from Minneapolis in the same period, with other flights going to Houston, Texas and Omaha, Nebraska.
These shuffle flights are “abnormal,” Savi Arvey, a researcher with the ICE Flight Monitor project, said. There were no flights between El Paso and Minnesota in 2025, she explained.
Other detainees are being transferred to various detention centers across Texas. Adrian Conejo Arias and his 5-year-old son, Liam Conejo Ramos, are currently being held at the Dilley detention center. Their detention made national headlines and sparked criticism after photos circulated of Liam being detained in the driveway of his home on Jan. 20 while wearing a blue bunny hat.
U.S. Rep. Joaquin Castro visited Conejo and his son at the detention center on Wednesday, Jan. 28. Castro, D-San Antonio, said he “demanded his release and told him how much his family, his school, and our country loves him and is praying for him.”
A photo showing 5-year-old Liam Ramos being detained by a federal immigration agent in Minnesota.
The El Paso Times is trying to learn more about reports that the detainees from Minnesota are being fast-tracked for deportation once they arrive in El Paso. This is significant because detainees at Camp East Montana have repeatedly complained of being detained for months at the privately-run facility on Fort Bliss property.
Shuffle flights are where ICE will move immigrant detainees to other facilities ahead of their deportations. There were 8,365 shuffle flights, according to the ICE Flight Monitoring project in 2025. El Paso has averaged 89 shuffle flights in the last four months, according to the project’s data.
It is nearly impossible to know how many people have been moved to El Paso, as ICE has not reported the number of people entering the detention facilities in the Borderland.
El Paso has become a hub for deportations with the operation of the Camp East Montana ICE detention center, which is projected to hold 5,000 people. The site has been marked by reports of human rights violations and three immigrant deaths since it opened in August 2025, including one that was ruled a homicide.
One of the immigrants detained in Minnesota who was transferred to El Paso was Victor Manuel Diaz, a 36-year-old originally from Nicaragua, who was detained in Minneapolis on Jan. 6 and transferred to the Camp East Montana facility.
He was pronounced dead on Wednesday, Jan. 14, of an alleged suicide.
Secretary Kristi Noem says thousands arrested in Minnesota
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem has publicly reported that federal agents have arrested more than 3,000 immigrants over the past six to eight weeks during Operation Metro Surge in Minnesota.
“In the last 6 weeks, our brave DHS law enforcement have arrested 3,000 criminal illegal aliens, including vicious murderers, rapists, child pedophiles, and incredibly dangerous individuals,” Noem said in a news release issued Jan. 19.
Camp East Montana was built to hold 5,000 detainees. U.S. Rep. Veronica Escobar has reported that 3,080 people were already being held at the El Paso detention center, as of Dec. 19.
ICE has never reported publicly how many detainees are currently held at Camp East Montana.
More: Exclusive: She survived ICE custody; her husband died during detention
Jeff Abbott covers the border for the El Paso Times and can be reached at:jdabbott@usatodayco.com; @palabrasdeabajo on Twitter or @palabrasdeabajo.bsky.social on Bluesky.
This article originally appeared on El Paso Times: ICE chartered flights are taking detainees from Minnesota to El Paso