ICE fuels major concern after using controversial 'celebrity loophole' to 'hide' deportation flights

Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has sparked major concerns after using what is being referred to online as a 'celebrity loophole' to 'hide' deportation flights.

A United States government programme that allows private jet owners to keep their flights off public tracking websites is now reportedly being used by the ICE to obscure the tracking of certain deportation flights.

The initiative is run by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), the national aviation regulator in the US, and is called the Limiting Aircraft Data Displayed list (LADD).

LADD was first created following lobbying from the private jet industry, which saw advocates argue that making flight information accessible for celebrities and business leaders raised security concerns.

Taylor Swift is one of the Hollywood A-listers whose jet is said to be registered under the programme, and she's also joined by the likes of Oprah Winfrey and Steven Spielberg.

ICE has sparked major concern after reportedly concealing tracking information of deportation flights (Spencer Platt / Staff / Getty Images)

ICE has since reportedly started using the privacy initiative to hide planes which have been contracted for deportation flights.

Flight-tracking researcher Jack Sweeney states that Avelo Airlines planes and seven GlobalX aircraft used by ICE are currently listed.

"We’re seeing these commercial aircraft being added to the LADD list and then subsequently being employed under contract by the government for these deportation flights," said Ian Petchenik, communications director at flight-tracking service Flightradar24.

"It’s certainly new."

Taylor Swift's private jet is on the Limiting Aircraft Data Displayed list (Dimitrios Kambouris / Staff / Getty Images)

Despite LADD stopping aircraft from appearing on FAA-linked websites like FlightAware and Flightradar24, such flights can still be traced through open-source data known as ADS-B, collected by volunteers worldwide.

Such a method has been used to track Swift's and Elon Musk’s private jets - both of which are registered on the list.

ICE's use of this privacy measure has raised concerns among critics, given that it reduces transparency.

ICE has already come under fire for shackling passengers with a video posted by the White House back in February captioned: "ASMR: Illegal Alien Deportation Flight."

The shocking video shows immigrants in shackles as they prepared to board a deportation flight from Seattle.

At one point in the video, which is 41 seconds long, a set of handcuffs and chains can be seen jingling as they are pulled from a basket, before being laid out on the airport tarmac next to four other sets of restraints.

Another shot shows a man with his hands cuffed in front of him with his ankles bound by a chain as he walks past an officer.

And a third shot sees a man having his handcuffs linked together before the camera pans to a man’s feet in chains as he walks up a stairway to a plane.

Tyla has contacted the Federal Aviation Administration for comment.