Seattle: U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers placed a detained Indian man on the wrong Alaska Airlines (AS) flight at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (SEA), sending him to Sitka (SIT) instead of New York City (JFK) for his voluntary departure to India.
The previously unreported May 31, 2025, incident prompted Alaska Airlines (AS) to review its safety protocols and raise the matter with the Department of Homeland Security.
Rakesh Rakesh, 25, had spent months at the Northwest ICE Processing Center in Tacoma before an immigration judge granted his request for voluntary departure on May 21. Despite flight attendants alerting ICE officers that they were boarding the wrong aircraft, the agents directed the crew to continue boarding him, leading to a chain of events that added 16 extra days to his detention, the Seattle Times reported.
The incident unfolded when ICE officers bypassed the standard terminal gate process and brought Rakesh up a stairway from the airfield directly onto the jet bridge.
Federal agents are eligible for badges granting airfield access when escorting individuals in their custody, according to Port of Seattle spokesperson Perry Cooper. However, Alaska Airlines (AS) said the officers failed to follow established check-in procedures with airline gate agents before stepping onto the plane.
Had the officers checked in at the gate, they would have learned that the New York City (JFK) flight was parked adjacent to the Sitka (SIT) flight they were about to board.
Alaska Airlines spokesperson Alexa Rudin confirmed that flight attendants informed the officers they had the wrong plane, but the agents overrode the crew and directed them to board Rakesh anyway.
After the flight departed, attendants alerted the captain, a veteran Alaska Airlines (AS) pilot. When the captain informed Rakesh of the situation, the 25-year-old grew afraid, uncertain whether his voluntary departure status still stood.
The captain took personal responsibility for the stranded passenger. After the plane landed in Sitka (SIT) around 10:30 p.m., the pilot brought Rakesh to his own hotel and booked an adjacent room.
He then arranged a return flight to Seattle (SEA) the following morning and helped Rakesh book connecting flights to New York City (JFK) and onward to India. Alaska Airlines covered the hotel, meals, and all rebooking costs.
Rather than allowing Rakesh to continue his journey home, ICE agents met him when he arrived back at Seattle (SEA) and returned him to the Tacoma detention center. Rakesh said he pleaded with officers to let him leave the country, but his pleas were ignored. He went on a hunger strike for several after being redetained.
25/04/2026 Kevin Derby/AviationA2Z
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