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Green card holder Maher Awad deported on private jet to West Bank, leaving newborn son in Michigan

Feb 5, 2026 · Phoenix, AZ, Palestine

Green card holder Maher Awad deported on private jet to West Bank, leaving newborn son in Michigan

ICE chartered a private Gulfstream IV jet owned by Florida property developer Gil Dezer, a Trump associate and donor, to deport Palestinian men from the United States to the West Bank. At least two deportation flights occurred on January 20-21 and February 1-2, 2026, transporting eight or more detainees from an Arizona detention facility through multiple countries (New Jersey, Ireland, Bulgaria) before reaching Tel Aviv and the West Bank. Among those deported was 24-year-old Maher Awad, a long-term green card holder who had lived in the U.S. for nearly a decade and had a newborn son in Michigan. The men were shackled throughout the multi-country journey and reported being abandoned at checkpoints with minimal resources. A joint investigation by +972 Magazine and The Guardian documented the flights, with former U.S. officials and immigration lawyers characterizing them as indicative of a shift in Trump administration deportation policy toward more aggressive mass deportation tactics.

Timeline

Feb 5, 2026+972 Magazine and The Guardian published joint investigation revealing ICE chartered private jet owned by Trump associate Gil Dezer for Palestinian deportations
Feb 2, 2026Second flight arrived in West Bank; total of eight or more men deported across both flights, including green card holder Maher Awad
Feb 1, 2026Second deportation flight departed Arizona detention facility with additional Palestinian detainees
Jan 21, 2026First deportation flight arrived in West Bank; detainees reportedly abandoned at checkpoints with minimal resources
Jan 20, 2026First deportation flight departed, transporting Palestinian detainees from Arizona detention facility on private Gulfstream IV jet through New Jersey, Ireland, and Bulgaria toward West Bank

Sources

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