I was on a flight from DCA to MIA recently and happened to notice two guys marching around 6 Central American looking fellows in handcuffs. They pre-boarded after showing a badge to the gate agent. Was this a deportation thing or something else? This is not the only time that I have seen this, but the only time that folks were in handcuffs. Anyone have similar experiences?

Couple of years ago on a Malev Hungarian 767 flight out of JFK to Budapest. The plane was not too full, but toward the back were three rather burly guys sitting next to each other in the 3-seat middle section. The guy in the middle was a slight bit rowdy (I thought he was drunk), and got progressively louder as the flight progressed. Finally, after some outburst, many of the passengers turned around, one of the guys in the aisle stood up and flashed some sort of badge of identification and they restrained the guy with those plastic tie things.

Not the most pleasant of flights, but nothing extraordinary besides some loud (and somewhat incomprehensible) noise.

They could have been federal marshalls escorting felons to a hearing in MIA or to prison.

BTW: Welcome to FlyerTalk!

On a flight once - CX from HKG to JFK via YVR. The entire plane had to deplane in YVR while the cabin was cleaned - a bit over an hour. We sat in a secured holding area for that gate - people could enter but not leave. There was an Immigration Canada fellow there with a younger fellow. The younger fellow was preboarded (with the Immigration chap escorting him to the boarding counter). They processed his credit card and on the plane he went. The immigration agent waited at the jet bridge until long after I boarded.

The young fellow had no belt and no shoe laces. My best guess was he was on a one-way ticket out of Canada. Nobody on the plane with him though - and when we got to the US he cleared customs before I did with no issue. Not sure if he was deported, but the no shoelaces/belt was a bit of a clue.

I have been on a couple flights with deportees on their way back to Canada. No handcuffs, no rowdiness...just one or two Immigration people keeping watch over the person in the gate area, escorting them to the jetway door, then waiting around the boarding area until we pushed back to make sure there was no last minute 'escape to freedom'.

As a matter of fact, the first one I witnessed was very cordial with the deportee and the Immigration deporter joking around. Then again, it was to Canada and not someplace like Bulgaria

I live in Sacramento, real close to Folsom Prison, and fly frequently on flights with Prison guards going to work. They are usually in First with me on the outbound flight SMF to ??? because they are all 1K in United. On the return flight after picking up the prisoners they are in coach. All prisoners are handcuffed and preboarded. This happens every day.

In May 2005 I was on an Air France flight from Paris (CDG) to Dakar, Senegal (DKR). There was an African man, probably about 30 years old, being deported and he was none too pleased about it. He was sitting in the middle of one of the last rows in our 777-200 and accompanied by two French police officers, one of whom stayed with the man while the other circulated through the cabin prior to takeoff explaining the situation to the other passengers.

I have no idea why he was being deported, whether he had committed a crime or was simply in the country illegally, but he was absolutely desperate to stay in France. He kept shouting 3 phrases (in French) and screamed himself hoarse: "It's the end of my life! They want me dead! I'm not Senegalese, I'm Mauritanian!" When he needed to rest his voice for a second, he'd spit very loudly (I guess onto the back of the seat in front of him).

Needless to say, the other passengers were very annoyed with this situation, especially since we were staring down a 6-hour flight with this guy only a few rows behind us. The officer insisted though that the tantrum would stop once we took off. We didn't believe it, but sure enough, the very second the plane went wheels-up, the man shut up for good. I don't know if this is just the normal time when deportees give up at resisting or if they gave him some sort of sedative.

Later, when I walked back to the rear galley during the flight, I glanced at the man. He was clearly awake and conscious, but absolutely despondent, resting his head on the tray table in front of him. I have no idea what happened to him after he got off the plane, but I sure was glad I wasn't him.

There was a kid (mid-late teens, but not 18 yet) being deported on flight 7654 IAH-ORD to China. He didn't make a commotion, he just looked scared. The agent escorting him didn't speak Chinese, so he kept trying to reach someone in his office who could. Eventually he did and gave the phone to the kid (this was all waiting for the flight, of course). I considered offering to help translate, but my Mandarin isn't what it used to be. I hope the kid wasn't a makeshift asylum seeker.

Yup, under the new agreement between the FSM and the USA anyone with a felony on their record can not enter the USA without a waiver; however no one realizes that yet or they don't realize that what they plea bargained to ten years ago was a felony and it's still on their record. So there are lots of times I"ve seen Micronesian's being turned back and sent back to the FSM from the USA. And I've seen the FBI take an American in handcuffs from GUM to the FSM. I wasn't there but they just had the Pacific Island Games in Saipan and we had a few participants spend the two weeks in a jail cell in GUM before they were escorted back the FSM.

Ok, I have to ask....what is FSM?

Such a good poker player but so poor in geography........ Sorry had to do it since I got busted right away.

FSM = Federated States of Micronesia, part of the Freely Associated States which are three newer countries Palau, FSM, Marshall Islands within the last 25 years or so, used to be Trust Territories of the USA. Basically, over 300 islands south of Guam, East of PI, West of Hawaii, and North of the equator.

There's Compact of Associations between the countries and the USA so they are still closely tied, Micronesian's can enter and live and work in the USA just like a US Citizen can but as of three years ago they changed it so that you need to actually have a passport to enter the USA. Used to be able to get away with an FSM birth certificate or such. However they also changed it so that the FSM turned over their felony lists, and they can not enter the USA; however felons from the USA can still enter the FSM as the US won't turn over those documents to the FSM.

The only issue I find I object to is that majority of these islanders and lawyers and judges never thought about this possibility, so people plead guilty to felonies, got probation, and went on with life instead of pleading to a lesser offense and getting probation. So there are good people who have screwed up 20 years ago in life, took probation and plead guilty to a felony, now they can't get anywhere outside the islands as all ports of exit go to GUM or HNL and they get busted at immigration. For true felon's, I have no issue on keeping them out of the USA, but we have a lot of petty things from years and years ago that are holding people up because they never realized what they were doing (and that includes our lawyers and judges).

After my son boarded his first international UM flight, a young man was escorted in handcuffs by two police officers (I was still in the gate area). When I saw him board the plane and the officers exited, I went up to the desk to ask what was going on. In typical GA fashion, I was told that it was none of my business.

I was a little frantic (nervous mom) and threatened to do my best to shut down the airport and get my son off the airplane unless they explained the situation. A manager came to speak to me, and I was told it was an immigration issue, and it wasn't until the two police officers returned to the gate area to speak to me that I allowed them to close the jetway doors. I couldn't understand why a person who needed handcuffs and two armed officers escorting him through the airport was safe to fly unattended on a 6-hour flight. Once I was assured by the officers and the gate agents that this person was not sitting near my son, I calmed down.

I came home and started searching the internet for similar situations and explanations, and that's when I found Flyertalk.

Does it count if the person being deported is someone who is being deported on arrival, including especially for not having a visa on arrival? If so, then yes, a whole lot. Americans, Canadians and Europeans trying to enter India without a visa are the most obvious examples that come to mind this year.

I've seen this quite a lot ex-AMS - the Dutch immigration officers usually accompany the deportee on to the plane where they sit at the back.