Welcome to DU! The truly grassroots left-of-center political community where regular people, not algorithms, drive the discussions and set the standards. Join the community: Create a free account Support DU (and get rid of ads!): Become a Star Member Latest Breaking News Editorials & Other Articles General Discussion The DU Lounge All Forums Issue Forums Culture Forums Alliance Forums Region Forums Support Forums Help & Search

mahatmakanejeeves

(67,036 posts)
Sat Oct 11, 2025, 07:23 AM Saturday

This Family Made Billions on Trump-Branded Condos. Now Their Private Jet Is Taking Shackled Migrants to Prison in Africa

Reposted by Mike Masnick
https://bsky.app/profile/mmasnick.bsky.social

Greg Sargent
‪@gregsargent.bsky.social‬

This really captures the nexus of cruelty and corruption at the core of MAGA:

‪Gillian Brockell‬
‪@gbrockell.bsky.social‬
· 14h
NEW: The private jet that flew 10 shackled migrants to an Eswatini prison last weekend is owned by Israeli-American billionaires with close ties to Trump.

It’s oligarchs all the way down.

My first for @zeteo.com:

https://zeteo.com/p/this-family-made-billions-on-trump

This Family Made Billions on Trump-Branded Condos. Now Their Private Jet Is Taking Shackled Migrants to a Far-Flung African Prison
Israeli-American billionaires Michael and Gil Dezer’s Gulfstream IV plane flew 10 migrants to the tiny African kingdom of Eswatini, flight data shows.
zeteo.com
October 10, 2025 at 9:54 PM

This really captures the nexus of cruelty and corruption at the core of MAGA:

Greg Sargent (@gregsargent.bsky.social) 2025-10-11T01:54:12.110Z


Gillian Brockell
‪@gbrockell.bsky.social‬

NEW: The private jet that flew 10 shackled migrants to an Eswatini prison last weekend is owned by Israeli-American billionaires with close ties to Trump.

It’s oligarchs all the way down.

My first for @zeteo.com:

https://zeteo.com/p/this-family-made-billions-on-trump

This Family Made Billions on Trump-Branded Condos. Now Their Private Jet Is Taking Shackled Migrants to a Far-Flung African Prison
Israeli-American billionaires Michael and Gil Dezer’s Gulfstream IV plane flew 10 migrants to the tiny African kingdom of Eswatini, flight data shows.
zeteo.com

‪Gillian Brockell‬
‪@gbrockell.bsky.social‬
· 14h
Standby for ICE flight news…
October 10, 2025 at 5:17 PM

NEW: The private jet that flew 10 shackled migrants to an Eswatini prison last weekend is owned by Israeli-American billionaires with close ties to Trump.

It’s oligarchs all the way down.

My first for @zeteo.com:

zeteo.com/p/this-famil...

Gillian Brockell (@gbrockell.bsky.social) 2025-10-10T21:17:45.198Z


Gillian Brockell
‪@gbrockell.bsky.social‬

The jet was operated by Journey Aviation, who also participated in the South Sudan, first Eswatini and second Rwanda third-country removals.

Rich people lease their private jets part-time to companies like Journey in order to get a huge tax break from Trump’s first term.
A screenshot of the Dezers’ jet, N352BH, on the Journey Aviation website.
ALT
October 10, 2025 at 6:09 PM

The jet was operated by Journey Aviation, who also participated in the South Sudan, first Eswatini and second Rwanda third-country removals.

Rich people lease their private jets part-time to companies like Journey in order to get a huge tax break from Trump’s first term.

Gillian Brockell (@gbrockell.bsky.social) 2025-10-10T22:09:26.949Z


Gillian Brockell
‪@gbrockell.bsky.social‬

It was great working with Zeteo’s editors and rigorous fact-checker.

And I’m most grateful they let me say this in the last graf, something I’ve been try to get at with these ICE flights for awhile.
The disparity between the luxurious aircraft and its shackled, vilified passengers must have been quite a sight, but they are not unrelated. Corrupt officials transferring state funds to personal accounts, governments with empty treasuries and desperate citizens, luxury highrises, the criminalization of the unhoused and undocumented, billions spent on political campaign pageantry, aiding genocide from a faraway ballroom and calling it "charity," tax breaks for flying masked agents and nameless prisoners under cover of darkness - all are the spoils of oligarchy.
ALT
October 10, 2025 at 5:25 PM

It was great working with Zeteo’s editors and rigorous fact-checker.

And I’m most grateful they let me say this in the last graf, something I’ve been try to get at with these ICE flights for awhile.

Gillian Brockell (@gbrockell.bsky.social) 2025-10-10T21:25:28.032Z
4 replies = new reply since forum marked as read
Highlight: NoneDon't highlight anything 5 newestHighlight 5 most recent replies
This Family Made Billions on Trump-Branded Condos. Now Their Private Jet Is Taking Shackled Migrants to Prison in Africa (Original Post) mahatmakanejeeves Saturday OP
"It's a big club and we ain't in it." Irish_Dem Saturday #1
Trump will probably reward them with a choice spot in his new Gaza Riviera. Lonestarblue Saturday #2
Exactly. Tax payers are paying them to fly back and forth scoping out their windfall. Irish_Dem Saturday #4
Sheckels for Shackles sop Saturday #3

Irish_Dem

(76,133 posts)
1. "It's a big club and we ain't in it."
Sat Oct 11, 2025, 07:29 AM
Saturday

To quote George Carlin.

A big greedy corrupt club.

A total free for all with the entire US federal payroll.

Latest Discussions»Issue Forums»Civil Liberties»This Family Made Billions...