Portugal's men's soccer team recently flew to Dallas on a plane that has been heavily involved in mass deportations of Venezuelans to a Salvadoran mega-prison.
The aircraft, tail number N837VA, operated by Global Crossing Airlines, transported the team ahead of their World Cup match against Spain on July 4.
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Flight records show the same plane was used for deportation flights both before and after carrying the athletes, according to the Guardian.
Since May 2023, this aircraft has participated in over 1,580 deportation flights, making it one of the most frequently used planes for the Trump administration's deportation operations.
FIFA Organized the Flight
Ricardo Quaresma of the Portuguese football federation confirmed that FIFA arranged the flight. He noted that the team has also used various other airlines during the tournament.
GlobalX has not responded to inquiries about its operations.
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Previous investigations revealed the airline has contracts with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to transport detainees, often without notifying families or legal representatives.
Anthony Enriquez, an attorney at the Robert & Ethel Kennedy Human Rights Center, expressed concern over the normalization of human rights abuses.
He said, "The companies that are ferrying the footballers – they’re really trying to downplay their role in a serious human rights crisis in the United States."
Enriquez urged football federations to sever ties with companies involved in deportation operations and to carefully consider their sponsorships.
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Earlier this year, Avelo Airlines ended its deportation contract with ICE following public outcry.
