During the 2025 Border Security Expo held in Phoenix, Arizona, Todd Lyons, the Acting Director of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), expressed a desire to transform the deportation process into a model similar to that of Amazon Prime. He envisions that teams of ICE agents would efficiently round up individuals for deportation, comparing this operation to the way Amazon ships packages.

Lyons stressed the need to approach deportations as a business, advocating for the use of advanced technologies such as artificial intelligence to optimize resources, like creating more space in detention facilities and facilitating quicker deportation flights. He shared that he has been collaborating with Elon Musk, the CEO of Tesla and head of the Department of Government Efficiency, to investigate claims of voter fraud, illustrating the intersection of immigration enforcement and political agendas.

Others within the Trump administration, including "border czar" Tom Homan, have echoed Lyons' sentiments, endorsing the idea of involving private companies in the deportation process. Homan suggested that while law enforcement should handle the physical aspects of enforcement, all other logistics should be outsourced.

Avelo Airlines became one of the first companies to align with these proposals, with plans to begin deportation flights from Mesa, Arizona, starting in May. This move has sparked backlash, with thousands signing a petition urging the airline to withdraw from collaboration with the Trump administration. Notably, the expo featured companies like Anduril Industries, linked to big Republican donors, and Geo Group, which contracts with ICE for private detention services and has seen its stock rise post-election.

The broader implications of these policies have led to increased arrests of immigrants, including those who have complied with ICE check-ins and have pending immigration cases. This has resulted in heart-wrenching situations, such as the case of a Vietnamese man taken into custody during a regular check-in, leaving his spouse to manage their household and care for their child alone. According to data from the Deportation Data Project at UC Berkeley, ICE's activities have affected numerous individuals previously considered compliant and law-abiding within the immigration system.