A recent cyberattack on GlobalX, the airline contracted by the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) for deportation flights—known as “ICE Air”—has uncovered shocking details that reverberate far beyond U.S. borders.

Hackers affiliated with Anonymous penetrated the airline’s systems and retrieved internal documents, including passenger manifests from multiple deportation flights.

Among those listed was Ricardo Prada Vásquez, a man whose whereabouts had been unknown. The documents confirmed that he had been transferred to El Salvador’s controversial “mega prison,” CECOT.

While the immediate focus is on Latin America, these revelations matter deeply to Pan-African communities. GlobalX and similar contractors have historically also transported deportees to African nations such as Nigeria, Ghana, Ethiopia, and the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Although the leak centered on Venezuelan deportees, it raises broader questions about transparency and accountability for deportation flights affecting African nationals.

Immigration advocates now question whether ICE has accurate deportation records or whether it relies entirely on third-party contractors like GlobalX, which now appears to have more complete and accessible data than the government itself.

In a parallel development, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) announced plans to photograph all individuals leaving the United States by car, using facial recognition—capturing even passengers seated deep within vehicles. This policy affects citizens, residents, and foreign nationals alike, including thousands of Africans residing in or visiting the U.S. temporarily.

With increasing digital surveillance and biometric tracking, many Pan-African advocates are sounding alarms about the risk of undocumented African migrants being silently tracked, deported, and possibly sent to dangerous or inhumane detention centers abroad without due process.

These actions raise urgent questions about human rights, the role of private contractors, and how African governments can protect their citizens in the face of an increasingly high-tech deportation regime.