As 70,000 fans flock to Indianapolis for the March Madness Final Four games, they’ll be greeted by protestors with a message for the NCAA: Stop partnering with airlines that deport people.
The NCAA has an at least $5 million contract with Global X, a private charter airline handling March Madness travel for the women’s and men’s teams, according to an investigation by The Athletic. The news site also found that Global X is responsible for more than half of ICE flights under the Trump administration.
“We have these players who are being celebrated while their universities and conferences contract with airlines that have deported their peers,” said Ari Kelo, an organizer for Don’t Fly With ICE, a national campaign. Many teams, Kelo said, flew on the same Global X planes to reach their games throughout the tournament.
The NCAA did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Mirror Indy journalists witnessed one of these ICE flights at the Indianapolis International Airport in fall 2025. Dozens of people in handcuffs were loaded onto a plane bound for Alexandria, Louisiana — a major deportation hub. Airport officials said ICE is using the airways at least three times a week to transport detainees.
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Local immigration attorneys said the constant movement makes it more difficult to represent their clients. Immigration is generally a civil matter, and immigrants have constitutional rights to hire legal counsel in deportation cases and receive a hearing before a judge.
The Trump administration, which promised to go after “the worst of the worst” criminals, has also deported American citizens and separated families. According to federal data, people with no criminal convictions make up the largest group in ICE detention.
‘Keep ICE off the court’
Advocates say they have tracked at least two dozen Global X flights picking up basketball teams for the March Madness tournament. The schools include Purdue — the lone Indiana team in the Elite Eight — and Arizona, a No. 1 seed still vying for the championship.
A spokesperson for Purdue University declined to comment. The University of Arizona did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Nor did Global X, the Miami-based airline, which boasts the U.S. government, sports teams and casinos as clients. Through a contract with ICE, the company makes about $65 million a year on detention and deportation flights.
Liz Marvin, a local advocate, has protested the ICE flights at the Indianapolis airport. She wants fans to know about the tournament’s indirect involvement.
“The NCAA is funding ICE collaborators with our ticket dollars and student fees,” Marvin said.
People have sent over 1.7 million letters to the NCAA president and officials, the organization’s travel agency and university athletic directors during March Madness.
The demand: “Drop Global X contracts. Keep ICE off the court.”
The protest is scheduled in downtown Indy at 4 p.m. April 4 — about two hours before the first men’s Final Four game kicks off at Lucas Oil Stadium. A vigil is also planned downtown at 6:30 p.m. April 6 before the championship game.
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Mirror Indy reporter Mary Claire Molloy covers health. Reach her at 317-721-7648 or email maryclaire.molloy@mirrorindy.org. Follow her on X @mcmolloy7.
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